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AROUND THE WORLD IN 
THE YACHT 'SUNBEAM' 



OUR HOME ON THE OCEAN FOR 
ELEVEN MONTHS 



r 



MRS. BRASSEY 



With Illustrations. Chiefly after Dratvings by tht 
Hon. A. Y. Bingham 




NEW YORK 
HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY 



o 






New York : J. J. Little & Co., Printers, 
10 to 20 Astor Place. 



JUN 6 »*/ 






DEDICATION. 

To the friends in many climes and countries, of the 
white and colored races, and of every grade in society, 
who have made our year of travel a year of happiness, 
these pages are dedicated by the ever grateful Author, 




PREFACE. 



This volume needs no elaborate preface. A general 
sketch of the voyage which it describes was published in 
the ' Times ' immediately after our return to England. 
That letter is reprinted here as a convenient summary of 
the ' Sunbeam's' performances. But these prefatory lines 
would indeed be incomplete if they did not contain a 
well-deserved tribute to the industry and accuracy of the 
author. The voyage would not have been undertaken, 
and assuredly it would never have been completed, with- 
out the impulse derived from her perseverance and deter- 
mination. Still less would any sufficient record of the 
scenes and experiences of the long voyage have been pre- 
served had it not been for her painstaking desire not only 
to see everything thoroughly, but to record her impres- 
sions faithfully and accurately. The practiced skill of a 
professional writer cannot reasonably be expected in these 



viii PREFACE. 

simple pages, but their object will have been attained if 
they are the means of enabling more home-keeping friends 
to share in the keen enjoyment of the scenes and adven- 
tures they describe. 

Thomas Brassey. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. Farewell to Old England i 
II. Madeira, Teneriffe, and Cape de Verde 

Islands 12 

III. Palma to Rio de Janeiro . . . .31 

IV. Rio de Janeiro 42 

V. The River Plate 62 

VI. Life on the Pampas ..... 76 

VII. More about the Argentine Republic . . 91 
VIII. River Plate to Sandy Point, Straits of 

Magellan ...... 104 

IX. Sandy Point to Lota Bay . . . .126 

X. Chili ........ 144 

XL Santiago and Valparaiso .... 163 

XII. Valparaiso to Tahiti . . . . 179 

XIII. The South Sea Islands .... 194 

XIV. At Tahiti . . . . . . . 209 

XV. Tahiti to Sandwich Islands. — Kilauea by 

Day and by Night . . . . . 235 

XVI. Hawaiian Sports 256 

XVII. Honolulu — Departure for Japan . .271 

XVIII. Honolulu to Yokohama .... 282 

ix 



X CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XIX. Yokohama ...... 293 

XX. Kioto, late Miaco . . . . 308 

XXI. The Inland Sea 327 

XXII. To Canton up the Pearl River . . 348 

XXIII. From Macao to Singapore . . . 362 

XXIV. Singapore 378 

XXV. Ceylon . . . . . . . 395 

XXVI. To Aden ....... 412 

XXVII. Via Suez Canal ...... 424 

XXVIII. 'Home' .....'... 440 

APPENDIX . . . . . . . .455 



o 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



The Yacht ' Sunbeam ' . . . . . Frontispiece 

General Chart showing Track of the Yacht 

'Sunbeam' To face page i 

Family Group ........ i 

Nearly Overboard ....... 5 

A Cozy Corner 20 

Lulu and her Puppies ...... 37 

The Three Navigators . - . . . . .62 

' Monkshaven ' on Fire . . . . . . 105 

Shipwrecked Crew coming on Board . . . 108 

Bartering with Fuegians . . . . 127 

Catching Cape-Pigeons in the Gulf of Penas . 142 

What makes Horses go in Chili .... 167 

Juvenile Scrubbers . . . . . . .180 

Going up the Mast in a Chair . . . . 192 

Children looking up ' . 192 

Maitean Boatman ....... 203 

A Tahitian Lady ........ 227 

Tattoo in the Tropics . ... . . . 237 

Amateur Navigation ....... 286 

The Yacht on Fire ....... 334 

How the Journal was written . • . . 392 

Vasco de Gama ........ 449 

Home at Last 453 

xi 




-4> :: * ^ ®f 



AROUND THE WORLD IN THE 
YACHT 'SUNBEAM.' 



CHAPTER I. 



FAREWELL TO OLD ENGLAND. 

Masts, spires, and strand receding on the right, 
The glorious main expanding on the bow. 

At noon on July 1st, 1876, we said good-by to the 
friends who had come to Chatham to see us off, and be- 
gan the first stage of our voyage by steaming down to 
Sheerness, saluting our old friend the ' Duncan,' Admiral 
Chads's flagship, and passing through a perfect fleet of 
craft of all kinds. There was a fresh contrary wind, and 
the Channel was as disagreeable as usual under the cir- 
cumstances. Next afternoon we were off Hastings, where 
we had intended to stop and dine and meet some friends ; 
but, unfortunately, the weather was not sufficiently favor- 
able for us to land ; so we made' a long tack out to sea, 
and, in the evening, found ourselves once more near the 
land, off Beachy Head. While becalmed off Brighton, 
we all — children included — availed ourselves of the oppor- 

1 



2 PASSENGERS AND PETS. 

tunity to go overboard and have our first swim, which we 
thoroughly enjoyed. We had steam up before ten, and 
again proceeded on our course. It was very hot, and sit- 
ting under the awning turned out to be the pleasantest 
occupation. The contrast between the weather of the 
two following days was very great, and afforded a forcible 
illustration of the uncertainties, perhaps the fascinations, 
of yachting. We steamed quietly on, past the ' Owers ' 
lightship, and the crowds of yachts at Ryde, and dropped 
anchor off Cowes at six o'clock. 

On the morning of the 6th a light breeze sprang up, 
"' and. enabled us to go through the Needles with sails up 
and funnel down, a performance of which all on board felt 
very proud, as many yachtsmen had pronounced it to be 
an impossibility for our vessel to beat out in so light a 
breeze. 

We were forty-three on board, all told, as will be seen 
by reference to the list I have given. We had with us, 
besides, two dogs, three birds, and a charming Persian 
kitten belonging to the baby. The kitten soon disap- 
peared, and it was feared she must have gone overboard 
down the hawse pipe. There was a faint hope, however, 
that she might have been packed away with the new sails, 
which had been stowed in a great hurry the day before. 
Unhappily she was never found again, and the children 
were inconsolable until they discovered, at Torquay, an 
effective substitute for '.Lily.' 

The Channel was tolerably smooth outside the Isle of 
Wight, and during the afternoon we were able to hold on 
our course direct for Ushant. After midnight, however, 
the wind worked gradually round to the W. S. W., and 
blew directly in our teeth. A terribly heavy sea got up ; 
and, as we were making little or no progress, it was de- 
cided to put in to Torquay or Dartmouth, and there await 
a change. We anchored in Torbay, about half a mile 
from the pier, at 8.30 a.m., and soon afterwards went 
ashore to bathe. We found, however, that the high rocks 



THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL. ■ 3 

which surround the snug little bathing cove made the 
water as cold as ice. 

Nothing more having been heard of our poor little 
kitten, we can only conclude that she has gone overboard. 
Just as we were leaving the railway-station, however, 
we saw a small white kitten with a blue ribbon round its 
neck ; and all the children at once exclaimed, ' There's 
our Lily ! ' We made inquiries, and found that it be- 
longed to the young woman at the refreshment room, 
who, after some demur, allowed us to take it away with 
us, in compliance with Muriel's anxious wish, expressed 
on her face. 

About ten o'clock we got under way, but lay-to for 
breakfast. We then had a regular beat of it down Chan- 
nel — everybody being ill. We formed a melancholy-look- 
ing little row down the lee side of the ship, though I must 
say that we were quite as cheery as might have been ex- 
pected under the circumstances. It was bright and sunny 
overhead, which made things more bearable. 

Sunday, July gt/i. — A calm at 2 a.m. Orders were 
given to get up steam ; but the new coals from Chatham 
were slow to light, though good to keep up steam when 
once fairly kindled. For four long hours, therefore, we 
lolloped about in the trough of a heavy sea, the sails flap- 
ping as the vessel rolled. By the time the steam was 
up so was the breeze — a contrary one, of course. We 
accordingly steamed and sailed all -day, taking more water 
on board, though not ipeally in any great quantity, than 
I had ever seen the good ship do before. She carries a 
larger supply of coal and other stores than usual, and no 
doubt the square yards on the foremast make her pitch 
more heavily. We were all very sorry for ourselves, and 
' church,' postponed from eleven until four o'clock, brought 
together but a small congregation. 

On the 8th we were fairly away from Old England, 
and on the next day off Ushant, which we rounded at 
about 4.30 p.m., at the distance of a mile and a half; the 
sea was tremendous, the waves breaking in columns of 



4 IN THE BA Y OF BISCA V. 

spray against the sharp needle-like rocks that form the 
point of the island. The only excitement during the day 
was afforded by the visit of a pilot-boat (without any fish 
on board), whose owner was very anxious to take us into 
Brest, ' safe from the coming storm,' which he predicted. 
In addition to our other discomforts, it now rained hard ; 
and by half-past six I think nearly . all our party had 
made up their minds that bed would be the most com- 
fortable place. 

Two days later we sailed into lovely, bright, warm, 
sunny weather, with a strong north-easterly breeze, a fol- 
lowing sea, and an occasional long roll from the westward. 
But as the sun rose, the wind increased, and we got rather 
knocked about by the sea. A good deal of water came 
on board, and it was impossible to sit anywhere in com- 
fort, unless lashed or firmly wedged in. We were, how- 
ever, going ten knots through the water, on our course, 
under our new square head canvas ; and this fact made 
up for a good deal of discomfort. 

The thirty extra tons of spare sails, spars, and provi- 
sions, the fifteen tons of water, and the eighty-four tons 
of coal, made a great difference in our buoyancy, and the 
sea came popping in and out at the most unexpected 
places ; much to the delight of the children, who, with 
bare feet and legs, and armed with mops and sponges, 
waged mimic war against the intruder and each other, 
singing and dancing to their hearts' content. This 
amusement was occasionally interrupted by a heavier roll 
than usual, sending them all into the lee scuppers, sousing 
them from head to foot, and necessitating a thorough 
change of clothing, despite their urgent protest that sea- 
water never hurt anybody. 

After our five o'clock dinner, however, we very nearly 
met with a most serious accident. We were all sitting 
or standing about the stern of the vessel, admiring the 
magnificent dark blue billows following us, with their 
curling white crests, mountains high. Each wave, as it 



NEARLY OVERBOARD. 



approached, appeared as if it must overwhelm us, in- 
stead of which, it rushed grandly by, rolling and shaking 
us from stem to stern, and sending fountains of spray 
on board. Tom was looking at the stern compass, All- 
nutt being close to him. Mr. Bingham and Mr. Freer 
were smoking, half-way between the quarter-deck and 
the after-companion, where Captain Brown, Dr. Potter, 
Muriel, and I, were standing. Captain Lecky, seated on 




rt/fMmKiA 



Nearly Overboard. 



a large coil of rope, placed on the box of the rudder, was 
spinning Mabelle a yarn. A new hand was steering, and 
just at the moment when an unusually big wave over- 
took us, he unfortunately allowed the vessel to broach- 
to a little. In a second the sea came pouring over the 
stern, above Allnutt's head. The boy was nearly washed 
overboard, but he managed to catch hold of the rail, 
and, with great presence of mind, stuck his knees into 
the bulwarks. Kindred, our boatswain, seeing his dan- 
ger, rushed forward to save him, but was knocked down 



6 SPARS CARRIED AWAY. 

by the return wave, from which he emerged gasping. 
The coil of rope on which Captain Lecky and Mabelle 
were seated was completely floated by the sea. Provi- 
dentially, however, he had taken a double turn round 
his wrist with a reefing point, and, throwing his other 
arm round Mabelle, held on like grim death ; otherwise 
nothing could have saved them. She was perfectly self- 
possessed, and only said quietly, ' Hold on, Captain Lecky, 
hold on ! ' to which he replied, ' All right.' I asked her 
afterwards if she thought she was going overboard, and 
she answered, ' I did not think at all, mamma, but felt 
sure we were gone.' Captain Lecky, being accustomed 
to very large ships, had not in the least realized how 
near we were to the water in our little vessel, and was 
proportionately taken by surprise. All the rest of the 
party were drenched, with the exception of Muriel, whom 
Captain Brown held high above the water in his arms, 
and who lost no time in remarking in the midst of the 
general confusion, ' I'm not at all wet, I'm not.' Hap- 
pily, the children don't know what fear is. The maids, 
however, were very frightened, as some of the sea had 
got down into the nursery, and the skylights had to be 
screwed down. Our studding-sail boom, too, broke with 
a loud crack when the ship broached-to, and the jaws of 
the fore-boom gave way. 

Soon after this adventure we all went to bed, full of 
thankfulness that it had ended as well as it did ; but, 
alas ! not, so far as I was concerned, to rest in peace. In 
about two hours I was awakened by a tremendous weight 
of water suddenly descending upon me and flooding the 
bed. I immediately sprang out, only to find myself in 
another pool on the floor. .It was pitch dark, and I 
could not think what had happened ; so I rushed on 
deck, and found that, the weather having moderated a 
little, some kind sailor, knowing my love of fresh air, 
had opened the skylight rather too soon ; and one of 
the angry waves had popped on board, deluging the 
cabin. 



AN UNCOMFORTABLE NIGHT. f 

I got a light, and proceeded to mop up, as best I 
could, and then endeavored to find a dry place to sleep 
in. This, however, was no easy task, for my own bed was 
drenched, and every other berth occupied. The deck, 
too, was ankle-deep in water, as I found when I tried to 
get across to the deck-house sofa. At last I lay down on 
the floor, wrapped up in my ulster, and wedged between 
the foot stanchion of our swing bed and the wardrobe 
athwart-ship ; so that as the yacht rolled heavily, my feet 
were often higher than my head. Consequently, what 
sleep I snatched turned into nightmare, of which the fixed 
idea was a broken head from the three hundredweight of 
lead at the bottom of our bed, swinging wildly from side 
to side and up and down, as the vessel rolled and pitched, 
suggesting all manner of accidents. When morning came 
at last, the weather cleared a good deal, though the 
breeze continued. All hands were soon busily employed 
in repairing damages ; and very picturesque the deck and 
rigging of the ' Sunbeam ' looked, with the various groups 
of men, occupied upon the ropes, spars, and sails. To- 
wards evening the wind fell light, and we had to get up 
steam. The night was the first really warm one we had 
enjoyed, and the stars shone out brightly. The sea, which 
had been of a lovely blue color during the day, showed 
a slight phosphorescence after dark. 

Thursday, July 13th. — When I went on deck, at half- 
past six, I found a gray, steamy, calm morning, promising 
a very hot day, without wind. 

About 10.30 a.m., the cry of ' Sail on the port beam ! ' 
caused general excitement, and in a few minutes every 
telescope and glass in the ship had been brought to bear 
upon the object which attracted our attention, and which 
was soon pronounced to be a wreck. Orders were given 
to starboard the helm, and to steer direct for the vessel ; 
and many were the conjectures hazarded, and, the ques- 
tions asked of the fortunate holders of glasses. ' What is 
she ? ' 'Is there any one on board ? ' ' Where does she 



8 A FLOATING CELLAR. 

come from ? ' ' Can you read her name ? ' ' Does she look 
as if she had been long abandoned ? ' Soon we were near 
enough to send a boat's crew on board, whilst we watched 
their movements anxiously from the bridge. We could 
now read her name — the ' Carolina ' — surmounted by a 
gorgeous yellow decoration on her stern. She was of 
between two and three hundred tons burden, and was 
painted a light blue, with a red streak. Beneath her white 
bowsprit the gaudy image of a woman served as a figure- 
head. The two masts had been snapped short off about 
three feet from the deck, and the bulwarks were gone, 
only the covering board and stanchions remaining, so that 
each wave washed over and through her. The roof and 
supports of the deck-house and the companions were 
still left standing, but the sides had disappeared, and the 
ship's deck was burst up in such a manner as to remind 
one of a quail's back. 

We saw the men on board poking about, apparently 
very pleased with what they had found ; and soon our 
boat returned to the yacht for some breakers,* as the 
' Carolina ' had been laden with port wine and cork, and 
the men wished to bring some of the former on board. I 
changed my dress, and, putting on my sea boots, started 
for the wreck. 

We found the men rather excited over their discovery. 
The wine must have been very new and very strong, for 
the smell from it, as it slopped about' all over the deck, 
was almost enough to intoxicate anybody. One pipe had 
already been emptied into the breakers and barrels, and 
great efforts were made to get some of the casks out 
whole ; but this was found to be impossible, without de- 
voting more time to the operation than we chose to spare. 
The men managed to remove three half-empty casks with 
their heads stove in, which they threw overboard, but the 

* Small casks, used ior carrying water in boats, frequently spelled 
barricos, evidently from the time of the old Spanish navigators. 



BOARDING A WRECK. 

full ones would have required special appliances to X'di 
them through the hatches. It proved exceedingly dil. ' 
cult to get at the wine, which was stowed underneath tht- 
cork, and there was also a quantity of cabin bulkheads and 
fittings floating about, under the influence of the long 
swell of the Atlantic. It was a curious sight, standing on 
the roof of the deck-house, to look into the hold, full of 
floating bales of cork, barrels, and pieces of wood, and to 
watch the sea surging up in every direction, through and 
over the deck, which was level with the water's edge. I 
saw an excellent modern iron cooking-stove washing 
about from side to side ; but almost every other mov- 
able article, including spars and ropes, had apparently 
been removed by previous boarders. P 

It would have delayed us too long to tow .the vessel 
into the nearest port, 375 miles distant, or we might have 
claimed the salvage money, estimated by the experts at 
;£ 1,500. She was too low in the water for it to be possi- 
ble for us, with our limited appliances, to blow her up ; 
so we were obliged to leave her floating about as a dere- 
lict, a fertile source of danger to all ships crossing her 
track. With her buoyant cargo, and with the trade winds 
slowly wafting her to smoother seas, it may probably be 
some years before she breaks up. I only hope that no 
good ship may run full speed on to her, some dark night, 
for the ' Carolina ' would prove almost as formidable an 
obstacle as a sunken rock. 

Tom was now signaling for us to go on board again, 
and for a few minutes I was rather afraid we should have 
had a little trouble insetting the men off, as their excite- 
ment had not decreased ; but after a trifling delay and 
some rather rough play amongst themselves, they became 
steady again, and we returned to the yacht with our vari- 
ous prizes. 

A ' Mother Carey's chicken ' hovered round the wreck 
while we were on board, and followed us to the ' Sun- 
beam ; ' and although a flat calm and a heavy swell pre- 



A HARBINGER OF WIND. 

Led at the time, we all looked upon our visitor as the 
trbinger of a breeze. In this instance, at least, the well- 
mown sailor's superstition was justified; for, before the 
'evening, the wind sprang up, and ' fires out and sails up ' 
was the order of the day. We were soon bowling mer- 
rily along at the rate of seven knots an hour, while a clear 
starlight night and a heavy dew gave promise of a fine 
morrow. 

Friday, July i^th. — We still have a light wind, right 
aft, accompanied by a heavy roll from the westward, 
which makes it impossible to sit anywhere with comfort, 
and difficult even to read. By 6 a.m. the sun had become 
very powerful, though its heat was tempered by the 
breeze, which gradually increased throughout the day, 
until, having set all our fore-and-aft canvas, as well as our 
square sails, we glided steadly along, in delightful con- 
trast to the uneasy motion of the morning, and of the 
past few days. Under the awning — with the most heav- 
enly blue sky above, and the still darker clear blue sea 
beneath, stretching away in gentle ripples as far as the 
eye could reach — it was simply perfect. 

Our little party get on extremely well together, though 
a week ago they were strangers to each other. We are 
all so busy that we do not see much of one another ex- 
cept at meals, and then we have plenty to talk about. 
Captain Lecky imparts to us some of his valuable infor- 
mation about scientific navigation and the law of storms, 
and he and Tom and Captain Brown work hard at these 
subjects. Mr. Freer follows in the same path ; Mr. Bing- 
ham draws and reads ; Dr. Potter helps me to teach the 
children, who, I am happy to say, are as well as possible. 
I read and write a great deal, and learn Spanish, so that 
the days are all too short for what we have to do. The 
servants are settling down well into their places, and the 
commissariat department does great credit to the cooks 
and stewards. The maids get on satisfactorily, but are a 
little nervous on rough nights. We hope not to have 



PRECAUTION AGAINST DANGER. 

many more just at present, for we are now approach] 
calmer latitudes. 

In the course of the day, whilst Tom and I were sit- 
ting in the stern, the man at the wheel suddenly ex- 
claimed, ' There's land on the ' port bow.' We knew, 
from the distance we had run, that this could not be the 
case, and after looking at it through the glasses, Tom pro- 
nounced the supposed land to be a thick wall of fog, 
advancing towards us against the wind. Captain Brown 
and Captain Lecky came from below, and hastened to 
get in the studding-sails, in anticipation of the coming 
squall. In a few minutes we had lost our fair breeze and 
brilliant sunshine, all our sails were taken flat aback, and 
we found ourselves enveloped in a dense fog, which made 
it impossible for us to see the length of the vessel. It 
was an extraordinary phenomenon. Captain Lecky, who, 
in the course of his many voyages, has passed within a 
few miles of this exact spot more than a hundred and 
fifty times, had never seen anything in the least like it. 
As night came on the fog increased, and the boats were 
prepared ready for lowering. Two men went to the 
wheel, and two to the bows to look out, while an officer 
was stationed on the bridge with steam-whistle and bell 
ready for an emergency ; so that, in case we ran into any- 
thing, or anything ran into, us, we should at least have 
the satisfaction of knowing that, so far as we were con- 
cerned, it had all been done strictly according to Act of 
Parliament. 

Sattirday, July i^th. — Between midnight and 4 a.m. 
the fog disappeared, as suddenly as it had come on. We 
must have passed through a wide belt of it. At 5.30 a.m., 
when Tom called me to see a steamer go by, it was quite 
clear. The vessel was the ' Roman,' and she passed so 
close to us that we made our number, and exchanged 
salutations with the officers on the bridge. 

Towards the afternoon a nice breeze sprang up, and 
we were able to bank fires and sail. 



CHAPTER II. 

MADEIRA, TENERIFFE, AND CAPE DE VERDE ISLANDS. 

Full many a green isle needs must be 
In this zuide sea of misery, 
Or the mariner worn and wan 
Never thus could voyage on. 

Sunday, July \6th. — Porto Santo being visible on the 
port bow,' a quarter of a mile ahead, by 3.55 a.m. this 
morning, our three navigators congratulated themselves 
and each other on the good land-fall they had made. 

It looks a curious little island, and is situated about 
thirty-five miles north-east of Madeira, with a high peak 
in the center, of which we could only see the extreme 
point appearing above the clouds. 

It is interesting to know that it was from his observa- 
tion of the drift-wood and debris washed on to the eastern 
shore that Columbus, who had married the daughter of 
the Governor of Porto Santo, derived his first impressions 
of the existence of the New World. Here it was that he 
first realized there might possibly be a large and unknown 
country to the westward ; here it was that he first con- 
ceived the project of exploring the hitherto unknown 
ocean and of discovering what new countries might bound 
its western shores. 

An hour later we saw Fora and its light, at the ex- 
treme east of Madeira, and could soon distinguish the 
mountains in the center of the latter island. As we rap- 
idly approached the land, the beauty of the scenery be- 
came more fully apparent. Amass of dark purple volcanic 
rocks, clothed on the top with the richest vegetation, with 

12 



ARRIVAL AT FUNCHAL. 

patches of all sorts of color on their sides, rises boldly" 
from the sea. There are several small detached rocks, 
and one curious pointed little island, with an arch right 
through the middle of it, rather like the Perce Rock on 
the coast of Nova Scotia. We steamed slowly along the 
east coast, passing many pretty hamlets, nestled in bays 
or perched on the side of the hills, and observing how 
every possible nook and corner seemed to be terraced and 
cultivated. Sugar-canes, Indian corn, vines, and many 
varieties of tropical and semi-tropical plants, grow luxuri- 
antly in this lovely climate. Nearly all the cottages in 
the island are inhabited by a simple people, many of 
whom have never left their native villages, even to look at 
the magnificent view from the top of the surrounding 
mountains, or to gaze on the sea, by which they are en- 
compassed. 

. We dropped our anchor in the bay of Funchal at 
about twelve o'clock, and before breakfast was over found 
ourselves surrounded by a perfect flotilla of boats, though 
none of them dared approach very near until the health- 
officer had come alongside and pronounced us free from 
infection. At this moment all are complaining much of the 
heat, which since yesterday has been very great, and is 
caused by the wind called ' Este,' blowing direct from the 
African deserts. It was 79° in the coolest place on board, 
and 84 on shore in the shade, in the middle of the day. 

The African mail steamer, ' Ethiopia,' last from Bonny, 
West Coast of Africa, whence she arrived the day before 
yesterday, was lying in the bay, and the children went on 
board with some of our party to see her cargo of monkeys, 
parrots, and pineapples. The result was an importation 
of five parrots on board the ' Sunbeam ; ' but the monkeys 
were too big for us. Captain Dane, who paid us a return 
visit, said that the temperature here appeared quite cool 
to him, as for the last few weeks his thermometer had 
varied from 82 to 96° in the shade. 

We had service at 4 p.m., and at 5 p.m. went ashore 



A FESTIVAL DA Y. 

a native boat, furnished with bilge pieces, to keep her 
straight when beached, and to avoid the surf, for it was 
too rough for our own boats. At the water's edge a curi- 
ous sort of double sleigh, drawn by two oxen, was wait- 
ing. Into this we stepped, setting off with considerable 
rapidity up the steep shingly beach, under a beautiful row 
of trees, to the ' Praca,' where the greater portion of the 
population were walking up and down, or sitting under 
the shade of the magnolias. These plants here attain the 
size of forest-trees, and their large white wax-like flowers 
shed a most delightful fragrance on the evening air. 
There were graceful pepper vines too, and a great variety 
of trees only known to us in England in the form of small 
shrubs. This being a festival day, the streets were 
crowded with people from town and country, in their hol- 
iday attire. The door-posts and balconies of the houses 
were wreathed with flowers, the designs in many cases 
being very pretty. One arcade in particular was quite 
lovely, with arches made of double red geranium, mixed 
with the feathery-looking pepper leaves, while the up- 
rights were covered with amaryllis and white arum lilies. 
The streets were strewn with roses and branches of 
myrtle, which, bruised by the feet of the passers-by and 
the runners of the bullock sleigh, emitted a delicious aro- 
matic odor. 

The trellises in the garden seem overgrown with ste- 
phanotis, mauve and purple passion-flowers, and all kinds 
of rare creepers ; the purple and white hibiscus shoots up 
some fourteen to sixteen feet in height ; bananas, full of 
fruit and flower, strelitzias, heliotrope, geraniums, and 
pelargoniums, bloom all around in large shrubs, mixed 
with palms and mimosas of every variety ; and the whole 
formed such an enchanting picture that we were loath to 
tear ourselves away. 

A ride of about twenty minutes in the bullock sleigh, 
up a steep hill, by the side of a rocky torrent, whose 
banks were overgrown with caladiums and vines, brought 



THE GARDEN AT TIL. 

us to our destination, Til, whence we had a splendid vi 
of the town and bay stretching beneath us. During the 
ascent we passed several cottages, whose inhabitants 
stood airing themselves on the threshold after the great 
heat of the day, and through the open doorways we occa- 
sionally got a peep into the gardens beyond, full of bright 
flowers and luxuriant with vines, fig-trees, and bananas. 
As we sat in the terrace garden at Til we enjoyed the 
sweet scent of the flowers we could no longer see, and 
listened to the cool splash of the water in the fountain 
below ; whilst Allnutt, with unceasing energy, searched 
amongst the bushes for moths, of which he found a large 
number. 

We jogged down the hill a great deal faster than we 
had come up, stopping only for a short time in the now 
more than ever crowded ' Praca,' to listen to one or two 
airs played by the Portuguese band, before we got back 
to the yacht at about half-past ten. 

Next morning we were off to the fish-market by seven 
o'clock, but it was not a good time for our visit, as there 
had been no moon on the previous night ; and, though 
there were fish of various kinds, we saw nothing specially 
worthy of notice. The picturesque costumes of the peo- 
ple were, however, interesting. We afterwards went to 
the fruit-market, though it was not specially worth seeing, 
for most of the fruit and vegetables are brought in boats 
from villages on the sea-shore ; and, as it is necessary to 
wait until the sea-breeze springs up, they do not arrive 
until midday. After our walk the children and I went 
down to the beach and bathed, taking care not to go too 
far out on account of the sharks, of which we had been 
warned. We undressed and dressed in tents, not unlike 
clothes-horses, with a bit of matting thrown over them, in 
which the heat was intense. The beach is very steep ; 
and as one gets out of one's depth immediately, indiffer- 
ent swimmers put on a couple of bladders — which stick 
out behind their backs and produce a strange effect — 



Ifi SLIDING DOWN HILL. 

or else take a bathing-man into the water with them. I 
preferred the latter course ; and we all had a pleasant 
bathe. 

The natives seem almost amphibious in their habits, 
and the yacht is surrounded all day by boats full of small 
boys, who will dive to any depth for sixpence, a dozen of 
them spluttering and fighting for the coin in the water at 
the same time. They will go down on one side of the 
yacht too, and bob up on the other, almost before you 
have time to run across the deck to witness their reap- 
pearance. 

The Loo Rock, with its old fortress, close to our an- 
chorage, forms a picturesque object ; and the scene from 
the yacht, enlivened by the presence of numerous market- 
boats, laden with fruit and vegetables, is very pretty. We 
lie about 150 yards from the shore, just under Mr.'Dane- 
ro's quinta. The cliff just here is overhung with bou- 
gainvillaeas, geraniums, fuchsias, aloes, prickly pears, and 
other flowers, which grow luxuriantly quite down to the 
water's edge, wherever they can contrive to find a root- 
hold. 

After five-o'clock tea we rode up the Mount and 
through the woods on horseback, along a road gay 
with masses of wild geranium, hydrangea, amaryllis, and 
fuchsias. We dismounted at a lovely place, which con- 
tains a large number of rare trees and plants, brought 
from all parts of the world. Here were enormous camel- 
lias, as well as purple, red, and white azaleas, Guernsey 
lilies, all growing in the greatest profusion. 

Our descent of the Mount, by means of a form of con- 
veyance commonly used on the island, was very amusing. 
At the summit we found basket-work sleighs, each con- 
structed to hold two people, and attended by a couple of 
men lashed together. Into these we stepped, and were 
immediately pushed down the hill at a tremendous pace. 
The gliding motion is delightful, and was altogether a 
novelty to us. The men manage the sleighs with great 



TO THE GRAN CORRAL. jj 

skill, steering them in the most wonderful manner round 
the sharp angles in the zigzag road, and making use of 
their bare feet as breaks when necessary. The turns were 
occasionally so abrupt, that it seemed almost impossible 
that we could avoid being upset ; but we reached the bot- 
tom quite safely. The children were especially delighted 
with the trip, and indeed we all enjoyed it immensely. 
The only danger is the risk of fire from the friction of the 
steel runners against the gravel road. 

After paying a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Blandy, whose 
house is beautifully situated, we dined at the hotel, and 
afterwards sat in the lovely semi-tropical garden until it 
was time to go on board to bed. 

Tuesday, July \Zth. — We were called at 4.30 a.m., and 
went ashore soon after six to meet some friends, with 
whom we had arranged to ride up to the Gran Corral, 
and to breakfast there, 5,000 feet above the level of the 
sea. 

It soon became evident that the time we had selected 
for landing was the fashionable bathing hour. In fact, it 
required some skill on our part to keep the boat clear 
of the crowds of people of both sexes and all ages, who 
were taking their morning dip. It was most absurd to 
see entire families, from the bald-headed and spectacled 
grandfather to the baby who could scarcely walk, all dis- 
porting themselves in the water together, many of them 
supported by the very inelegant-looking bladders I have 
mentioned. There was a little delay in mounting our 
horses, under the shade of the fig-trees ; but when we were 
once off, a party of eleven, the cavalcade became quite 
formidable. As we clattered up the paved streets, between 
vineyard and garden walls, ' curiosity opened her lattice,' 
on more than one occasion, to ascertain the cause of the 
unwonted commotion. The views on our way, as we 
sometimes climbed a steep ascent or descended a deep 
ravine, were very varied, but always beautiful. About 
half-way up we stopped to rest under a delightful trellis of 
2 



1 8 THE TORRINHAS PEAK. 

vines, by the side of a rushing mountain-stream, bordered 
with ferns ; then, leaving the vineyards and gardens 
behind us, we passed through forests of shady Spanish 
chestnut-trees, beneath which stretched the luxurious 
greensward. 

At ten o'clock we quitted this grateful shade, and 
arrived at the neck of the pass, facing the Gran Corral, 
where we had to make our choice of ascending a conical 
hill, on our left, or the Torrinhas Peak, on our right. The 
latter was chosen, as promising the better view, although it 
was rather farther off, so we were accordingly seized upon 
by some of the crowd of peasants who surrounded us, and 
who at once proceeded to push and pull us up a steep, 
slippery grass slope, interspersed with large bowlders. 
The view from the top, looking down a sheer precipice of 
some 1,500 feet in depth into the valley below, was lovely. 
Quite at the bottom, amid the numerous ravines and small 
spurs of rocks by which the valley is intersected, we could 
distinguish some small patches of cultivated ground. 
Above our heads towered the jagged crests of the highest 
peaks, Pico Ruivo and others, which we had already seen 
from the yacht, when we first sighted the island. 

A pleasant walk over some grassy slopes, and two 
more hard scrambles, took us to the summit of the Tor- 
rinhas Peak ; but the charming and extensive view towards 
Camara de Lobos, and the bay and town of Funchal, was 
an ample reward for all our trouble. It did not take 
us long to get back to the welcome shade of the chestnut- 
trees, for we were all ravenously hungry, it being now 
eleven o'clock. But, alas ! breakfast had not arrived : so 
we had no resource but to mount our horses again and ride 
down to meet it. Mr. Miles ; of the hotel, had not kept 
his word ; he had promised that our provisions should be 
sent up to us by nine o'clock, and it was midday before we 
met the men carrying the hampers on their heads. There 
was now nothing for it but to organize a picnic on the ter- 
race of Mr. Veitch's deserted villa, beneath the shade of 



THE ENGLISH CEMETERY. 



l 9 



camellia, fuchsia, myrtle, magnolia, and pepper-trees, from 
whence we could also enjoy the fine view of the fertile 
valley beneath us and the blue sea sparkling beyond. 

Wednesday, July igtk. — We were so tired after our 
exertions of yesterday, that it was nine o'clock before we 
all mustered for our morning swim, which I think we en- 
joyed the more from the fact of our having previously been 
prevented by the sharks, or rather by the rumor of sharks. 

We were engaged to lunch at Mr. and Mrs. Blandy's, 
but I was so weary that I did not go ashore until about 
six o'clock in the evening, and then I went first tothe 
English cemetery, which is very prettily laid out and well 
kept. The various paths are shaded by pepper-trees, 
entwined with bougainvillaea, while in many places the 
railings are completely covered by long trailing masses of 
stephanotis in full bloom. Some of the inscriptions on 
the tombs are extremely touching, and it is sad to see, as 
is almost always the case in places much resorted to by 
invalids, how large a proportion of those who lie buried 
here have been cut off in the very flower of their youth. 
Indeed, the residents of Madeira complain that it is a 
melancholy drawback to the charms of this beautiful 
island, that the friendship frequently formed between 
them and people who come hither in search of health 
is in so many cases brought to an early and sad termina- 
tion. Having seen and admired Mrs. Foljambe's charm- 
ing garden by daylight, we returned on board to receive 
some friends. Unfortunately they were not very good 
sailors, and, out of our party of twenty, one lady had to 
go ashore at once, and another before dinner was over. 

They all admired the yacht very much, particularly 
the various cozy corners in the deck-house. It was a 
lovely night ; and after the departure of our guests, at 
about ten o'clock, we steamed out of the bay, where we 
found a nice light breeze, which enabled us to sail. 

Thursday, July 20th. — All to-day has been taken up in 
arranging our photographs, journals, &c, &c, and in pre- 



20 



FIRST VIEW OF TENERIFFE. 



paring for our visit to Teneriffe. About twelve o'clock 
the wind fell light and we tried fishing, but without suc- 
cess, though several bonitos or flying-fish were seen. It 
was very hot, and it seemed quite a relief when, at eight 




A Cozy Corner. 

o'clock in the evening we began steaming, thus creating 
a breeze for ourselves. 

Friday, July 21st. — We all rose early, and were full of 
excitement to catch the first glimpse of the famous Peak 
of Teneriffe. There was a nice breeze from the north- 
east, the true trade wind, we hope, which ought to carry 
us down nearly to the Line. The morning being rather 
hazy, it was quite ten o'clock before we saw the Peak, 
towering above the clouds, right ahead, about fifty-nine 



ASCENT OF THE PEAK. 21 

miles off. As we approached, it appeared less perpen- 
dicular than we had expected, or than it is generally rep- 
resented in pictures. The other mountains too, in the 
center of the island, from the midst of which it rises, are 
so very lofty that, in spite of its conical sugar-loaf top, it 
is difficult at first to realize that the Peak is 12,180 feet 
high. 

We dropped anchor under its shadow in the harbor of 
Orotava in preference to the capital, Santa Cruz, both on 
account of its being a healthier place, and also in order to 
be nearer to the Peak, which we wished to ascend. 

The heat having made the rest of our party rather lazy, 
Captain Lecky and I volunteered to go on shore to see 
the Vice-Consul, Mr. Goodall, and try to make arrange- 
ments for our expedition. It was only 2 p.m., and very 
hot work, walking through the deserted streets, but luckily 
we had not far to go, and the house was nice and'cool 
when we got there. Mr. Goodall sent off at once for a 
carriage, dispatching a messenger also to the mountains 
for horses and guides, which there was some difficulty in 
obtaining at such short notice. 

Having organized the expedition we re-embarked to 
dine on board the yacht, and I went to bed at seven, to 
be called again, however, at half^past ten o'clock. After 
a light supper, we landed and went to the Vice-Consul's, 
arriving there exactly at midnight. But no horses were 
forthcoming, so we lay down on our rugs in the patio, 
and endeavored to sleep, as we knew we should require 
all our strength for the expedition before us. 

There were sundry false alarms of a start, as the horses 
arrived by ones and twos from the neighboring villages, 
accompanied by their respective owners. By two o'clock 
all our steeds, twelve in number, had assembled, and in 
another quarter of an hour we were leaving the town by a 
steep stony path, bordered by low walls. There was no 
moon, and for the first two hours it was very dark. At the 
end of that time we could see the first glimmer of dawn, 



2 2 PLAINS OF PUMICE-STONE. 

and were shortly afterwards able to distinguish each other 
and to observe the beautiful view which lay below us as 
we wended our way up and up between small patches of 
cultivation. Soon we climbed above the clouds, which 
presented a most curious appearance as we looked down 
upon them. The strata through which we had passed was 
so dense and so white, that it looked exactly like an enor- 
mous glacier, covered with fresh-fallen snow extending for 
miles and miles ; while the projecting tops of the other 
Canary Islands appeared only like great solitary rocks. 

The sun had already become very oppressive, and at 
half-past seven we stopped to breakfast and to water the 
horses. Half-past eight found us in the saddle again, and 
we commenced to traverse a dreary plain of yellowish 
white pumice-stone, interspersed with huge blocks of ob- 
sidian, thrown from the mouth of the volcano. At first 
the monotony of the scene was relieved by large bushes of 
yellow broom in full flower, and still larger bushes of the 
beautiful Retama blanca, quite covered with lovely white 
bloom, scenting the air with its delicious fragrance, and 
resembling huge tufts of feathers, eight or nine feet high, Afc ' 
As we proceeded, however, we left all traces of vegetation 
behind us. It was like the Great Sahara. On every side a 
vast expanse of yellow pumice-stone sand spread around us, 
an occasional block of rock sticking up here and there, and 
looking as if it had indeed been fused in a mighty furnace. 
By half-past ten we had reached the ' Estancia de los In- 
gleses,' 9,639 feet above the level of the sea, where the 
baggage and some of the horses had to be left behind, the 
saddles being transferred to mules for the very steep climb 
before us. After a drink of water all round, we started 
again, and commenced the ascent of the almost perpen- 
dicular stream of lava and stone, which forms the only 
practicable route to the top. Our poor beasts were only 
able to go a few paces at a time without stopping to regain 
their breath. The loose ashes and lava fortunately gave 
them a good foothold, or it would have been quite impos- 



ALT A VISTA. 



2 3 



m 



sible for them to get along at all. One was only en- 
couraged to proceed by the sight of one's friends above, 
looking like flies clinging to the face of a wall. The road, 
if such it can be called, ran in zigzags, each of which was 
about the length of two horses, so that we were in turns 
one above another. There were a few slips and slides and 
tumbles, but no important casualties ; and in about an hour 
and a half we had reached the 'Alta Vista,' a tiny plateau, 
where the horses were to be left. 

The expedition so far had been such a fatiguing one, 
and the heat was so great, that the children and I de- 
cided to remain here, and to let the gentlemen proceed 
alone to the summit of the Peak. We tried to find some 
shade, but the sun was so immediately above us that this 
was almost an impossibility. However, we managed to 
squeeze ourselves under some slightly overhanging rocks, 
and I took some photographs while the children slept. 
The guides soon returned with water-barrels full of ice, 
procured from a cavern above, where there is a stream of 
water constantly running ; and nothing could have been 
more grateful and refreshing. 

It was more than three hours before Tom and Captain 
Lecky reappeared, to be soon followed by the rest of the 
party. Whilst they rested and refreshed themselves with 
ice, they described the ascent as fatiguing in the extreme, 
in fact almost an impossibility for a lady. First they had 
scrambled over huge blocks of rough lava to the tiny 
plain of the Rambleta, 11,466 feet above the level of the 
sea, after which they had to climb up the cone itself, 530 
feet in height, and sloping at an angle of 44 degrees. 
It is composed of ashes and calcined chalk, into which 
their feet sank, while, for every two steps they made for- 
wards and upwards, they slipped one backwards. But 
those who reached the top were rewarded for their exer- 
tions by a glorious view, and by the wonderful appear- 
ance of the summit of the Peak. The ground beneath 
their feet was hot, while sulphurous vapors and smoke 



24 DIFFICULT DESCENT. 

issued from various small fissures around them, though 
there has been no actual eruption from this crater of the 
volcano since 1704. They brought down with them a 
beautiful piece of calcined chalk, covered with crystals of 
sulphur and arsenic, and some other specimens. Parched 
and dry as the ground looked where I was resting, a 
few grains of barley, dropped by mules on the occasion 
of a previous visit, had taken root and had grown up into 
ear ; and there were also a few roots of a sort of dog- 
violet, showing its delicate lavender-colored flowers, 1 1,000 
feet above the sea, and far beyond the level of any other 
vegetation 

It was impossible to ride down to the spot where we 
had left the baggage animals, and the descent was conse- 
quently very fatiguing, and even painful. At every step 
our feet sank into a mass of loose scoriae and ashes ; and 
so we went slipping, sliding, and stumbling along, some- 
times running against a rock, and sometimes nearly pitch- 
ing forward on our faces. All this too beneath a blazing 
sun, with the thermometer at 78 , and not a vestige of 
shade. At last Tom and I reached the bottom, where, 
after partaking of luncheon and draughts of quinine, we 
lay down under the shadow of a great rock to recruit our 
weary frames. 

Refreshed by our meal, we started at six o'clock on 
our return journey, and went down a good deal faster 
than we came up. Before the end of the pumice-stone 
or Retama plains had been reached, it was nearly dark. 
Sundry small accidents occurring to stirrup-leathers, bri- 
dles, and girths — for the saddlery was not of the best de- 
scription — delayed us slightly, and as Tom, Dr. Potter, 
Allnutt, and the guide had got on ahead, we soon lost sight 
of them. After an interval of uncertainty, the other 
guides confessed that they did not know the way back 
in the dark. This was not pleasant, for the roads were 
terrible, and during the whole of our journey up, from 
the port to the Peak, we had met only four people in all 



LOST ON THE MOUNTAIN. 



25 



— two goatherds with their flocks, and two ' neveros,' 
bringing down ice to the town. There was therefore not 
much chance of gaining information from any one on our 
way down. We wandered about among low bushes, down 
watercourses, and over rocks for a long time. Horns were 
blown, and other means of attracting attention were tried ; 
first one and then another of the party meanwhile coming 
more or less to grief. My good little horse fell down 
three times, though we did not part company, and once 
he went up a steep bank by mistake, instead of going 
down a very nasty watercourse, which I do not wonder 
at his objecting to. I managed to jump oil in time, 
and so no harm was , done ; but it was rather anxious 
work. 

About ten o'clock we saw a light in the distance, and 
with much shouting woke up the inhabitants of the cot- 
tage whence it proceeded, promising to reward them lib- 
erally if they would only show us our way back. Three 
of them consented to do this, and provided themselves ac- 
cordingly with pine-torches, wrapped round with brack- 
en and leaves. One, a very fine man, dressed in white, 
with his arm extended above his head, bearing the light, 
led the way ; another walked in front of my horse, 
while the third brought up the rear. They conducted us 
down the most frightfully steep paths until we. had de- 
scended beneath the clouds, when the light from our 
torches threw our shadows in gigantic form upon the mists 
above, reminding us of the legend of the ' Specter of the 
Brocken.' At last the torches began to go out, one by 
one, and just as the last light was expiring, we arrived at 
a small village, where we of course found that everybody 
was asleep. After some delay, during which Mabelle and 
I were so tired that we lay down in the street to rest, 
more torches were procured and a fresh guide, who led us 
into the comparatively good path towards Puerto Orotava. 
Finally, half an hour after midnight, we arrived at the 
house of the Vice-Consul, who had provided refreshments 



2 6 OUR VISITORS. 

for us, and whose nephew was still very kindly sitting up 
awaiting our return. But we were too tired to do any- 
thing but go straight on board the yacht, where, after 
some supper and champagne, we were indeed glad to re- 
tire to our berths. This was at 3.3Q a.m., exactly twenty- 
nine hours since we had been called on Friday night. 

It is certainly too long an expedition to be performed 
in one day. Tents should be taken, and arrangements 
made for camping out for one, if not two, nights ; but, in 
the case of such a large party as ours, this would have 
been a great business, as everything must be carried to so 
great a height, up such steep places, and over such bad 
roads. Still, there are so many objects and places of in- 
terest, not only on, but around, the Peak, that it is a pity 
to see them only when hurried and fatigued. 

Sunday, July 2$d. — Orders had been given not to call 
us nor to wash decks, and it was consequently half-past 
ten before any one awoke, and midday before the first of 
our party put in an appearance on deck. 

Long before this, the ' Sunbeam ' had been inundated 
with visitors from the shore. We had given a general in- 
vitation to the friends of the Vice-Consul to come and 
see the yacht ; and they accordingly arrived in due course, 
accompanied in many cases by a large circle of acquaint- 
ances. Those who came first were conducted below and 
all over the vessel, but the number ultimately became so 
great, that, in self-defense, we were obliged to limit their 
wanderings to the deck, opening the skylights wide, how- 
ever, to enable them to see as much as possible of the 
saloon and cabins. 

From breakfast-time until prayers, at three o'clock, 
when the yacht was closed- for an hour, there was a con- 
stant stream of visitors from the shore. It was a great 
nuisance ; but still it seemed unkind to refuse to allow 
them to see what they had never seen before, and might 
possibly never have an opportunity of seeing again. All 
steamers and sailing-ships, as a rule, go to Santa Cruz ; 



BOTANICAL GARDENS. 2 J 

M 

and the fame of our vessel having been spread abroad 
by our visitors of Friday, many of the poor people had 
come from villages far away over the mountains. We 
could not help feeling a certain respect for the determined 
way in which physical infirmity was mastered by curiosity, 
for, though many experienced very serious inconvenience 
from the motion of the vessel, they still persevered in 
their examination. 

About five o'clock we went ashore ourselves, and 
drove up to Villa Orotava. The wide road is macadam- 
ized and marked with kilometer stones, and is planted 
on either side with pepper -trees, plane-trees, and the 
Eucalyptus globtdus, which has grown 35 meters, or 1 1 5 feet, 
in seven years. The hedges are formed of blue plumbago, 
scarlet geranium, yellow acacia, lavender- colored helio- 
trope, white jasmine, and pink and white roses. 

After driving a few miles, we turned down an old 
paved road towards the sea, and, by dint of a consider- 
able amount of shaking, arrived at the celebrated Botan- 
ical Gardens, mentioned by Humboldt and others. We 
passed through a small house, with a fine dragon-tree on 
either side, and entered the gardens, where we found a 
valuable collection of trees and shrubs of almost every 
known species. The kind and courteous Curator, Don 
Hermann Wildgaret, accompanied us, and explained the 
peculiarities of the many interesting plants, from Europe, 
Asia, Africa, America, Australia, New Zealand, and the 
various islands of the North . and South Pacific and In- 
dian Oceans. The climate of Teneriffe is so equable 
that the island forms a true garden of acclimatization 
for the vegetable productions of the various countries 
of the world ; by the judicious expenditure of a little 
more money, this establishment might be made an im- 
portant means of introducing to Europe many new and 
valuable plants. At present the annual income is 5,000 
francs, the salary of the Curator being 1,000 francs. 

A rough drive over .paved roads, commanding exten- 



28 AN OLD DRAGON-TREE. 



>me 



sive views of sea and rocks, and of sonle palm-trees on a 
promontory in the distance, brought us, at about seven 
o'clock, to the boat, which was waiting our return. We 
arrived in due course on board the ' Sunbeam,' laden 
with bouquets of the choicest flowers, and soon after din- 
ner we all retired to bed, not having yet recovered from 
the fatigues of yesterday. 

Monday, July 24th. — What one gains in the beauty 
and abundance of vegetable life here, one loses in its 
rapid and premature decay. Fruit gathered in the morn- 
ing is scarcely fit to eat at night, and the flowers brought 
on board yesterday evening were dead to-day at 4.30 
a.m. ; whilst some of the roses we brought from Cowes 
lasted until we reached Madeira, though it must be owned 
so many fell to pieces that my cabin used to be daily 
swept with rose-leaves instead of tea-leaves. 

We went ashore soon after six, and drove straight to 
the garden of the Marquis de Sonzal, where there is a 
beautiful palm-tree, 101 feet high, the remains of an 
enormous dragon-tree, old even in^the fifteenth century, 
besides hedges of myrtle, jasmine, and clematis, and 
flowers of every description in full bloom. The dragon- 
tree is a species of dracaena, and looks rather like a 
gigantic candelabrum, composed of a number of yuccas, 
perched on the top of a gnarled and somewhat deformed 
stem, half palm, half cactus. Another beautiful garden 
was next visited, belonging to the Marquis de la Candia, 
who received us and showed us his coffee and plantains 
in full growth, as well as a magnificent Spanish chestnut- 
tree, coeval with the dragon-tree. Out of one of its al- 
most decayed branches a so-called young tree was grow- 
ing, but it would have been thought very respectable and 
middle-aged in any other locality. 

Every one here, as in Madeira, has been more or less 
ruined by the failure of the vines. Most of the large 
landed proprietors have left their estates to take care 
of themselves ; and the peasants, for the last few years, 



COCffMA'EAL cul tiva tion. 



OCHL* 

rat in o- 



29 



have been emigrtffrng by hundreds to Caraccas, in Ven- 
ezuela. Things are, however, beginning to look up a 
little now. The cultivation of cochineal appears to suc- 
ceed, though the price is low ; coffee answers well ; and 
permission has been obtained from the Spanish Govern- 
ment to grow tobacco, accompanied by a promise to pur- 
chase, at a certain fixed rate, all that can be produced. 
Still, people talk of the Island of Teneriffe as something 
very different now from what it was twenty-five or thirty 
years ago, both as regards the number of its inhabitants 
and the activity of its commerce, and mourn over ' the 
good old times ; ' — a custom I have remarked in many 
other places ! 

The Marquis de la Candia and Don Hermann Wild- 
garet returned on board with us to breakfast. The 
anchor had been weighed, and the ' Sunbeam ' was slowly 
steaming up and down, waiting for us. The stream of 
visitors had been as great and as constant as ever during 
our absence, in spite of the heavy roll of the sea, and the 
deck seemed quite covwed with baskets of flowers and 
fruit, kindly sent on board by the people who had been 
over the yacht the day before. Amongst the latest ar- 
rivals were some very handsome Spanish ladies, beauti- 
fully dressed in black, with mantillas, each of whom was 
accompanied by a young man carrying a basin. It must, 
I fear, be confessed that this was rather a trial to the 
gravity of all on board. It certainly was an instance of 
the pursuit of knowledge, or the gratification of curiosity, 
under considerable difficulties. 

Immediately after breakfast, our friends bade us adieu, 
and went ashore in the shore-boat, while we steamed 
along the north side of the island, past the splendid cliffs 
of Buenavista, rising 2,000 feet sheer from the sea, to 
Cape Teno, the extreme western point of Teneriffe. In 
the distance we could see the Great Canary, Palma, and 
Hierro, and soon passed close to the rocky island of 
Gomera. Here, too, the dark cliffs, of volcanic form and 



5 APPROACHING PALM A. 

origin, are magnificent, and as we were almost becalmed 
by the high land whilst we sailed along the north shore of 
the island, we had ample opportunities of admiring its 
rugged beauty. During the night we approached Palma, 
another large island of the Canary group, containing one 
of the most remarkable calderas, or large basins, formed 
by volcanic action in the world. 



CHAPTER III. 

PALMA TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 

A wet sheet and a flowing sea, 
A wind that follows fast 
And fills the white and rustling sail, 
And bends the gallant mast. 

Tuesday, July 2$tk. — There was not much wind during 
the night, and Palma was consequently still visible when 
I came on deck at daybreak. We had a light fair wind 
in the morning, accompanied by a heavy swell, which 
caused us to roll so much that I found it very difficult to 
do anything. Several shoals of flying-fish skimmed past 
us along the surface of the water, occasionally rising to 
a considerable height above it. Their beautiful wings, 
glittering in the bright sunlight, looked like delicate sil- 
ver filigree-work. In the night one flew on board, only to 
be preserved in spirits by Dr. Potter. 

Saturday, July 29th. — For the last three days we have 
been going on quietly with fair, warm weather, but a 
nice fresh breeze sprang up to-day. At midday the sun 
was so exactly vertical over our heads, that it was literally 
possible to stand under the shadow of one's own hatbrim, 
and be sheltered all round. Our navigators experienced 
considerable difficulty in taking their noontide observa- 
tions, as the sun appeared to dodge about in every direc- 
tion. 

About two o'clock we made the high land of St. 
Antonio, one of the Cape de Verde Islands, and, soon 
afterwards, the lower land of St. Vincent. Some doubt 
existing as to the prevalence of fever at the latter place, 

3 1 



32 



PORTO GRANDE. 



Tom decided not to stop there, for fear of having to un- 
dergo quarantine at Rio de Janeiro. We therefore short- 
ened sail, and passed slowly between the islands to the 
anchorage beyond the Bird Rock. This is a very small 
island, of perfectly conical form, covered with thousands 
of sea-fowl, who live here undisturbed by any other in- 
habitants. The town of Porto Grande, with its rows of 
white houses on the sea-shore, at the base of the rocky 
crags, looked clean and comfortable in the evening light. 
During the day, however, it must be a hot and glaring 
place, for there are no trees to afford shade, nor, indeed, 
any kind of vegetation. The water, too, is bad, and all 
supplies for passing steamers are brought from the other 
islands, at very uncertain intervals. It is still a great 
coaling station, though not so much used as it was for- 
merly, before the opening of the Suez Canal. The ships 
come out with coal, and go away in ballast (there is no- 
thing else to be had here), procured "from a point near the 
town, to Rio or elsewhere, where they pick up the home- 
ward cargo of fruit, &c. 

The absence of twilight in these latitudes, both at dawn 
and sunset, is certainly very remarkable. This, morning, 
at four o'clock, the stars were shining brightly ; ten min- 
utes later the day had commenced to break ; and at half- 
past four the sun had risen above the horizon, and was 
gilding the surrounding mountain tops. 

Sunday, July 30th. — About 10 a.m. we were off Ta- 
rafal Bay — a most hopeless-looking place for supplies. 
High rocky mountains, sandy slopes, and black volcanic 
beach composed a scene of arid desolation, in the midst 
of which was situated one small white house, with four 
windows and a thatched roof, surrounded by a little green 
patch of sugar-canes and cocoa-nut palms. 

But the result proved the sageness of the advice con- 
tained in the old proverb, not to trust to appearances 
only ; for, whilst we were at breakfast, Mr. Martinez, the 
son of the owner of the one whitewashed cottage to be 



WASHER WOMAN-BIRD. 



33 



seen, came on board. To our surprise, he spoke English 
extremely well, and promised us all sorts of supplies, if 
we could wait until three o'clock in the afternoon. Hav- 
ing agreed to do this, we shortly afterwards went ashore in 
his boat, with a crew of more than half-naked negroes, 
and a hot row of about three miles brought us to the 
shore, where, after some little difficulty, we succeeded in 
effecting a landing. Our feet immediately sank into the 
hot black sand, composed entirely of volcanic deposits 
and small pieces, or rather grains, of amber, through 
which we had a fatiguing walk until we reached some 
palm-trees, shading a little pool of water. Here we left 
some of the men, with instructions to fill the breakers 
they had brought with them, while we walked on along 
the beach, past the remains of an English schooner that 
caught fire not far from this island, and was run ashore by 
her captain, thirty years ago. Her iron, anchor, chain, 
and wheel still remained, together with two queer little 
iron cannon, which I should have much liked to carry off 
as a memorial of our visit. We then turned up a narrow 
shadeless path, bordered by stone walls, leading away 
from the sea, past a sugar-mill and a ruin. A few almond, 
castor-oil, and fig trees were growing amongst the sugar- 
canes, and as we mounted the hill we could see some 
thirty round straw huts, like beehives, on the sandy slopes 
beside the little stream. An abrupt turn in the moun- 
tains, amid which, at a distance of three leagues, this tiny 
river takes its rise, hides it from the sea, so that the nar- 
row valley which it fertilizes looks like a small oasis in the 
desert of rocks and sand. 

Mr. Martinez's house, where we sat for some time, and 
beneath the windows of which the one stream of the 
island runs, was comparatively cool. Outside, the negro 
washerwomen were busy washing clothes in large turtle- 
shell tubs, assisted, or hindered, by the ' washerwoman- 
bird,' a kind of white^crane, who appeared quite tame, 
playing about just like a kitten, pecking at the clothes or 
3 



34 



TARAFAL BAY. 



the women's feet, and then running away and hiding be- 
hind a tree. The stream was full of water-cresses, while 
the burned-up little garden contained an abundance of 
beautiful flowers. There were scarlet and yellow mi- 
mosas, of many kinds, combining every shade of exquisite 
green velvety foliage, alpinias, with pink, waxy flowers 
and crimson and gold centers, oleanders, begonias, hibis- 
cus, allamandas, and arum and other lilies. 

Mr. Bingham sketched, I took some photographs, Dr. 
Potter and the children caught butterflies, and the rest of 
our party wandered about. Every five minutes a negro 
arrived with a portion of our supplies. One brought a 
sheep, another a milch-goat for baby, while the rest con- 
tributed, severally, a couple of cocoa-nuts, a papaya, three 
mangoes, a few water-cresses, a sack of sweet potatoes, a 
bottle of milk, three or four quinces, a bunch of bananas, 
a little honey, half a dozen cabbages, some veal and pork, 
and so on ; until it appeared as if every little garden 
on either side of the three leagues of stream must have 
yielded up its entire produce, and we had accumulated 
sacks full of cocoa-nuts and potatoes, hundreds of eggs, 
and dozens of chickens and ducks. It was very amusing 
to see the things arrive. They were brought in by people 
varying in color from dark yellow to the blackest ebony, 
and ranging in size from fine stalwart men, over six feet 
in height, to tiny little blackies of about three feet six, 
with curly hair, snowy teeth, and mischievous, beady 
eyes. The arrival of the provision boat and the transfer 
of its miscellaneous cargo to the ' Sunbeam ' was quite an 
amusing sight. The pretty black goat and the sheep 
bleated, the fowls cackled, and the ducks quacked, while 
the negroes chatted and - laughed as they handed and 
hauled on board fish of all shapes and sizes, bunches of 
bananas, piles of cocoa-nuts, sacks of potatoes, and many 
other things, finishing up with a tiny black boy, about 
three years old, whom I think tfiey would rather have 
liked to leave behind with us, if we would only have taken 



THE FIRST MANGO. 



35 



him. The fish proved excellent, though some of them 
really seemed almost too pretty to eat. A brilliant gold- 
fish, weighing about three pounds, and something like a 
gray mullet in flavor, was perhaps the best. The prices 
were very curious. Chickens a shilling each, ducks five 
shillings, goats thirty shillings, and sheep ten shillings. 
Vegetables, fruit, and flowers were extremely cheap ; but 
the charge for water, fetched from the spring in our own 
breakers by our own crew, with but little assistance from 
four or five negroes, was £$ \%s. However, as ours is the 
only yacht, with one exception, that has ever visited this 
island, there was nothing for it except to pay the bill 
without demur. 

I never in my life felt so warm as I did to-day on 
shore, though the inhabitants say it will not be really hot 
for two months yet ; I never before saw cocoa-nut palms 
growing ; and I never tasted a mango until this morn- 
ing ; so I have experienced three new sensations in one 
day. 

The night was fearfully close, muggy, and thundery, 
the temperature in the cabins being 89 , in spite of open 
skylights and port-holes. Generally speaking, it has not 
hitherto been as hot as we expected, especially on board 
the yacht itself. On deck there is almost always a nice 
breeze, but below it is certainly warm. 

Tuesday, August \st. — Yesterday we were still under 
sail, but to-day it has been necessary to steam, for the 
-wind has fallen too light. There was a heavy roll from 
the south, and the weather continued hot and oppressive. 
In the cabins the thermometer stood at 89 during the 
whole of the night, in spite of all our efforts to improve 
the temperature. We therefore put three of the children 
in the deck-house to sleep, opening the doors and win- 
dows ; and some of the rest of our party slept on deck in 
hammocks. In anticipation of the heavy equatorial rains, 
which Captain Lecky ^.d predicted might commence to- 
day, we had the awnings put up ; a fortunate piece of 



36 THE SOUTHERN CROSS. 

foresight, for, before midnight, the rain came down in 
torrents. 

Wednesday, August 2d. — At daybreak the sky was 
covered with heavy black clouds, and the atmosphere 
was as hot and muggy as ever. We had a great deal of 
rain during the day, and took advantage of the oppor- 
tunity to fill every available tub, bucket, and basin, to say 
nothing of the awnings. It came down in such sheets 
that mackintoshes were comparatively useless, and we 
had soon filled our seventeen breakers, the cistern, and 
the boats, from which we had removed the covers, with 
very good, though somewhat dirty, washing water. 

Friday, August \t1i. — We were only 289 miles off Sierra 
Leone in the morning, and at noon therefore Tom decided 
to put about. Having done so, we found that we went 
along much more easily and quite as fast on the other 
tack. We maintained a good rate of speed on our new 
course, which was now nearly due west, passing a large 
bark with every stitch of canvas set, hand over hand. 

We are still in the Guinea current, and the tempera- 
ture of the water is 82 , even in the early morning; but 
the heat of the sun does not seem to have much effect 
upon it, as it does not vary to any great extent during 
the day.'* 

In the evening we saw the Southern Cross for the first 
time, and were much disappointed in its appearance. 
The fourth star is of smaller magnitude than the others ; 
and the whole group is only for a very short time in a 
really upright position, inclining almost always either to 
one side or the other, as it rises and sets. 

Tuesday, August 8t/i. — We crossed the line at daylight. 

This event caused much fun and excitement, both in 
cabin and forecastle. The conventional hair was put 
across the field of the telescope for the unsophisticated 
' really to see the line,' and many firmly believed they did 
see it, and discussed its appearance at some length. Jim 
Allen, one of our tallest sailors, and coxswain of the gig, 



CROSSING THE LINE. 



37 



dressed in blue, with long oakum wig and beard, gilt 
paper crown and trident, and fish impaled in one hand, 
was seated on a gun-carriage, and made a capital Father 
Neptune. Our somewhat portly engineer, Mr. Row- 
botham, with fur-trimmed dressing-gown and cap, and 
bent form, leaning on a stick, his face partially concealed 
by a long gray beard, and a large bandbox of pills on 
one arm, made an equally good doctor to his Marine 
Majesty, while the part of Mrs. Trident was ably filled by 
one of the youngest sailors, dressed in some of the maids' 
clothes. 

Soon afterwards we saw an enormous shoal of gram- 
puses, large black fish, about 25 feet in length, something 
between a dolphin and a whale, with the very ugliest 
jaws, or rather snouts, imaginable. They are of a preda- 
tory and ferocious disposition, attacking not only sharks, 
dolphins, and porpoises, but even whales, more than twice 
their own size. We also passed through enormous quanti- 
ties of flying fish, no doubt driven to the surface by dol- 
phins and bonitos. They were much larger and stronger 
in the wing than any we have hitherto seen. 




Lulu and her Puppies. 

Lulu's puppies, born yesterday, have been respectively 
named Butterfly (who survived her birth only an hour), 
Poseidon, Aphrodite, Amphitrite, and Thetis — names sug- 
gested by their birthplace on the ocean close to his Marine 
Majesty's supposed equatorial palace. 



38 



TROPICAL WEATHER. 



At noon we were 250 miles off St. Paul's Rocks. 

Thursday, August \oth. — A very hot, showery day. 
Saw two large ships in the distance. In the morning we 
were almost becalmed for a time, but the breeze returned 
during the afternoon, and we were able to proceed on our 
course. I think this has been the most lovely of the many 
exquisite days we have enjoyed since we left England. It 
commenced with a magnificent sunrise, and ended with 
an equally gorgeous sunset, only to be succeeded by a 
beautiful moonlight night, so clear and bright that we 
could see to read ordinary print on deck. 

Saturday, August 12th. — At noon we were 300 miles 
off Bahia, a place we have made up our minds not to visit, 
as it would lengthen our voyage considerably, and there 
is not much to see there. We have therefore decided to 
proceed direct to Rio, where we are looking forward to 
arrive on Wednesday or Thursday next. 

The night was showery, with a good deal of wind and 
sea. 

Sunday, August i^tk. — Sailing in the tropics is really 
very delightful ! When going to the westward, there is 
almost always, at this season of the year, a favorable 
breeze, and the weather is generally either quite fair or 
moderately so. 

Whispered to it, westward, westward, 
And with speed it darted forward. 

We had service at 11.15 a.m., and again at 5.30 p.m. The 
choir has considerably improved ; one of our new men 
plays the violin very well, and frequently accompanies 
the children and the nurse' in their songs. On a clear 
calm night, beneath a tropical sky, when the members of 
this little group assemble on deck, and, by the light of a 
lantern, sing some of their simple songs, the effect pro- 
duced is both melodious and picturesque. 

The wind dropped at about 10 p.m., and we had an 
unpleasant amount of roll during the night, sails flapping, 



CAPE FRIO. 



39 



spars creaking, and booms swinging as if they would pull 
the masts out of the vessel. 

Monday, August i^th. — This morning we saw a small 
schooner ahead, and thinking from her manoeuvres that 
she wished to speak us, we made our number and ran to- 
wards her. We soon found out, however, that she was a 
whaler, in chase of two large grampuses. She had two 
men on the lookout in the cross-trees, in a sort of iron 
cage ; and though she was of much smaller tonnage than 
the ' Sunbeam,' she carried five big boats, one of which, 
full of men, was ready to be lowered into the water the 
instant they had approached sufficiently near to the whale 
or grampus. The seas used formerly to abound with 
whalers, but they are now much less numerous, the 
seasons having been bad of late. 

To-night the stars were especially brilliant, and we 
spent some hours in trying to make out their names. 
Vega, our polar star for some time to come, shone con- 
spicuously bright, and the Southern Cross could be seen 
to great advantage. 

Wednesday, August \6th. — We had a fine fair breeze 
all day, and at 5 p.m. there was a cry from the mast-head 
of ' Land ahead ! ' Great excitement immediately pre- 
vailed on board, and Tom and Captain Brown rushed, 
for about the twelfth time, to the foretop to see if the 
report was true. They were soon able to announce that 
Cape Frio was visible on the port bow, about thirty-five 
miles distant. After even a fortnight at sea, an inde- 
scribable sensation is produced by this cry, and by the 
subsequent sight of the land itself. • When we came up 
on deck this evening, after dinner, we all gazed on the 
light-house on the still distant shore as if we had never 
beheld such a thing in our lives before. The color and 
temperature of the water had perceptibly changed, the 
former from a beautiful, clear, dark ultramarine to a 
muddy green ; innumerable small birds, moths, locusts, 
and grasshoppers came on board ; and, having given 



40 



STEERING FOR RIO. 



special orders that we were to be called early the next 
morning, we went to bed in the fond hope that we should 
be able to enter Rio harbor at daybreak. 

Thursday, August ijth. — ' L'homme propose; Dieu 
dispose.' Steam was up at midnight, but by that time 
it was blowing half a gale of wind from the south-west, 
with such a steep, short sea that the screw was scarcely 
ever properly immersed, but went racing round and 
round in the air with tremendous velocity, as we pitched 
and rolled about. Our progress was therefore at the 
rate of something rather under a mile an hour, and at 
daybreak, instead of entering the harbor of Rio, as we 
had hoped to do, we found ourselves close to Cape 
Frio. 

About 8 a.m. matters mended, the wind moderating 
and changing its direction slightly; so that, under steam 
and sail, we were soon going along the coast at the rate 
of four or five miles an hour.. The surf was breaking with 
a loud roar upon the white sandy beach, while the spray 
was Carried by the force of the wind far inland, over the 
strip of flat fertile-looking country, lying between the 
sea and a chain of low sugar-loaf-shaped mountains, par- 
allel with the shore, and only a short distance off. 

Our course lay between the mainland and the islands 
of Maya and Payo, where the groves of bananas and 
other trees looked very miserable in the wind. The tall 
isolated palm-trees, whose elastic stems bowed readily 
before the fury of the blast, looked, as they were twisted 
and whirled hither and thither, like umbrellas turned in- 
side out. Passing the false Sugar-loaf mountain, as it is 
called, we next opened out the true one, the Gavia, and 
the chain of mountains beyond, the outlines of which 
bear an extraordinary resemblance to the figure of a 
man lying on his back, the profile of the face being very 
like that of the late Duke of Wellington. As the sun 
sank in gorgeous splendor behind these hills, I think I 
never saw a grander or more beautiful sight ; though the 



CROSSING A BAR. 4 r 

sky was so red and stormy-looking that our hopes of a 
fine day to-morrow were but faint. 

Before entering the harbor, a bar had to be crossed, 
which is a dangerous operation all the world over. The 
skylights and hatches were fastened down, and those of 
our party who did not like being shut up below took 
their places on the bridge, where, for the first time since 
we left England, it felt really quite cold. As we ad- 
vanced, the beautiful harbor, with its long rows of glit- 
tering gaslights, extending for miles on either side of 
the bay, and illuminating the city and suburbs, gradually 
became visible. On our-left lay the two islands, Rodon- 
da and Raza, on the latter of which is situated a light- 
house. The wind was blowing off the land when we 
reached the bar, so that, after all our preparations, there 
was hardly any sea to encounter, and the moment we 
were over, the water on the other side was perfectly 
smooth. A gun and a blue light from Fort Santa Cruz, 
answered immediately by a similar signal from Fort 
Santa Lucia, announced our arrival, and we shortly 
afterwards dropped our anchor in the quarantine ground 
of Rio close to Botafogo Bay, in the noble harbor of 
Nictherohy. 

After dinner it rained heavily, 'and continued to do so 
during the whole night. 



CHAPTER IV. 

RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The sun is warm, the sky is clear, 
The waves are dancing fast and bright, 
Blue isles and snowy mountains wear 
The purple noon's transparent light. 

Friday, August' \Zth. — The clouds still hung heavy on 
the hills, or rather mountains, which surround the bay, 
occasionally descending in the form of torrents of rain, 
and hiding everything from our view. 

Early in the morning we weighed anchor and steamed 
up the bay to the man-of-war anchorage, a much pleas- 
anter situation than the quarantine harbor, where we had 
brought up last night. About 9.30 a.m. the health officers 
came on board, and half an hour later we had a visit from 
the custom-house official, who required Tom to sign and 
seal a declaration upon oath that he had no cargo on 
board, and not more coal than we absolutely required for 
our own consumption. 

About eleven o'clock we put on our mackintoshes and 
thick boots, and, accompanied by an interpreter, who (to- 
gether with several washerwomen) had suddenly made his 
appearance on board, rowed ashore, pushing our way 
through crowds of boats laden with fruit and vegetables. 
The landing-place was close to the market, at some 
broken-down steps, and was crowded with chattering 
negroes, of every shade of color. The quays seemed cov- 
ered with piles of fruit and vegetables, discharged from 
the boats, the principal produce being sugar-cane, bana- 
nas, and oranges. Each side street that we came to was 

42 



NO NEWS FROM HOME. 



43 



a little river, which had to be crossed, or rather forded, 
after paddling through the mud in the main thorough- 
fare. 

Our first visit was to the post-office — ' no letters ' — 
then to the British Consulate — 'no letters' — and finally 
to the Legation, but there was nobody at home there ; so 
we set off for the Hotel des Etrangers, to breakfast. Our 
way lay through the straggling suburbs of the city for 
about two miles, and as we drove along we could see and 
admire, despite the heavy rain, the magnificent groves of 
palm-trees, and the brilliancy and beauty of the tropical 
vegetation in the various private and public gardens that 
we passed. 

After breakfast we returned to the Legation, where 
we were most kindly received, but, much to our regret, 
no letters were forthcoming. We next paid a visit to 
some of the shops in the Rua do Ouvidor, for the sale of 
imitations of flowers, made from the undyed feathers of 
birds, and a large number of the more expensive varieties 
of ordinary artificial flowers, each petal consisting of the 
entire throat or breast of a humming-bird, and the leaves 
are made from the wings of beetles. They are very rare 
and beautiful, their manufacture being quite a spc'cialitc 
of this city. The prices asked astonished us greatly ; the 
cost of five sprays, which I had been commissioned to 
buy, was ^"29, and the price of all the others was propor- 
tionately high. But then they wear forever. I have had 
some for nine years, and they are as good now as when 
they were bought. 

Saturday, August igt/i. — Though far from brilliant, the 
weather improved, and we were able to enjoy occasional 
glimpses of the beautiful scenery around us. 

Mr. Gough and Mr. O'Conor breakfasted with us on 
board, and we afterwards proceeded in a ' bond ' to the 
Botanical Gardens, about seven miles out of the city. 
These ' bonds,' which are a great institution here, are 
large carriages, either open or closed, drawn sometimes 



44 BRAZILIAN TRAMS. 

by one, sometimes by two, sometimes by. three mules. 
They go at a great pace, and run very smoothly. Ordi- 
nary carriages are dear ; and as tramways have been laid 
down in almost every street and road, driving is a rather 
difficult affair. On our road we passed several delightful- 
looking private gardens. The railings were completely 
covered, some with white stephanotis and scarlet lapa- 
geria, others with a beautiful orange-colored creeper and 
lilac bougainvillaea, or passion-flowers of many colors and 
variety. Inside we could see large trees with green and 
yellow stripes, croton-oil plants, spotted and veined cala- 
diums, and dracaenas, the whole being shaded by orange- 
trees. 

Along the edge of Botafogo Bay there is a delightful 
drive, beneath a splendid avenue of imperial palms, ex- 
tending to the gates of the Botanical Gardens. Each 
specimen rises straight up like the column of an Egyptian 
temple, and is crowned with a feathery tuft of large shiny 
dark-green leaves, some thirty feet in length. The clumps 
of bamboos, too, were very fine, and nearly all the trees 
seemed to be full of curious orchids and parasites of every 
sort and kind. 

We had an agreeable drive back in the cool evening 
to dinner at the Hotel de l'Europe. The food was ex- 
cellent, and included some delicious, tiny, queer-shaped 
oysters, which are found on the mangrove-trees, over- 
hanging the water, higher up the bay. We afterwards 
went to a pleasant little reception, where we enjoyed 
the splendid singing of some young Brazilian ladies, and 
the subsequent row off to- the yacht, in the moonlight,, 
was not the least delightful part of the programme. 

Sunday, August 20th. — At last a really fine day. We 
could now, for the first time, thoroughly appreciate the 
beauties of the noble bay of Nictherohy, though the dis- 
tant Organ mountains were still hidden from our view. In 
the morning we went to church on board H.M.S. ' Volage,' 
afterwards rowing across the bay to Icaraky, where we 






BRAZILIAN FISH. 



45 



took the tramway to Santa Rosa. On our way we again 
passed many charming villas and gardens, similar to those 
we had admired yesterday, while the glorious and ever- 
attractive tropical vegetation abounded everywhere. In 
spite of the great heat, the children seemed untiring in 
the pursuit of butterflies, of which they succeeded in 
catching many beautiful specimens. 

Monday, August 21st. — After an early breakfast, we 
started off to have a look at the market. The greatest 
bustle and animation prevailed, and there were people and 
thing's to see and observe in endless variety. The fish- 
market was full of finny monsters of the deep, all new 
and strange to us, whose odd Brazilian names would con- 
vey to a stranger but little idea of the fish themselves. 
There was an enormous rockfish, weighing about 300 
pounds, with hideous face and shiny back and fins ; there 
were large ray, and skate, and cuttle-fish — the pieuvre of 
Victor Hugo's ' Travailleurs de la Mer ' — besides baskets 
full of the large prawns for which the coast is famous, 
eight or ten inches long, and with am^nnse of twelve or 
fourteen inches in length. They make ^p in size for 
want of quality, for they are insipid and tasteless, though, 
being tender, they make excellent curry. The oysters, on 
the other hand, are particularly small, but of the most 
delicious flavor. They are brought from a park, higher 
up the bay, where, as I have said, they grow on posts and 
the branches of the mangrove-tree, which hang down into 
the water. We also saw a large quantity of fine mackerel, 
a good many turtle and porpoises, and a few hammer- 
headed sharks. The latter are very curious creatures, not 
unlike an ordinary shark, but with a remarkable hammer- 
shaped projection on either side of their noses for which 
it is difficult to imagine a use. 

In the fruit-market were many familiar bright-colored 
fruits ; for it is now the depth of winter at Rio, and the 
various kinds that we saw were all such as would bear 
transport to England. Fat, jet-black negresses, wearing 



46 FRUITS, FOWLS, ETC. 

turbans on their heads, strings of colored beads on their 
necks and arms, and single long white garments, which 
appeared to be continually slipping off their shoulders, 
here presided over brilliant-looking heaps of oranges, ba- 
nanas, pineapples, passion-fruit, tomatoes, apples, pears, 
capsicums and peppers, sugar-cane, cabbage-palms, cheri- 
moyers, and bread-fruit. 

In another part of the market all sorts of live birds 
were for sale, with a few live beasts, such as deer, monkeys, 
pigs, guinea-pigs in profusion, rats, cats, dogs, marmosets, 
and a dear little lion-monkey, very small and rather red, 
with a beautiful head and mane, who roared exactly like 
a real lion in miniature. We saw also cages full of small 
flamingoes, snipe of various kinds, and a great many birds 
of smaller size, with feathers of all shades of blue, red, and 
green, and metallic hues of brilliant luster, besides parrots, 
macaws, cockatoos innumerable, and torchas, on stands. 
The torcha is a bright-colored black - and - yellow bird, 
about as big as a starling, which puts its little head on one 
side and takes flies irom one's fingers in the prettiest and 
most enticing manner. Unfortunately, it is impossible to 
introduce ic into England, as it cannot stand the change 
of climate. The other birds included guinea-fowls, ducks, 
cocks and hens, pigeons, doves, quails, &c, and many 
other varieties less familiar or quite unknown to us. 
Altogether the visit was an extremely interesting one, and 
well repaid us for our early rising. 

At eleven o'clock we started for the Petropolis 
steamer, which took us alongside a wooden pier, from the 
end of which the train started, and we were soon wending 
our way through sugar and coffee plantations, formed in 
the midst of the forest of palms and other tropical trees. 
An Englishman has made a large clearing here, and has 
established a fine farm, which he hopes to work success- 
fully by means of immigrant labor. 

After a journey of twenty minutes in the train, we 
reached the station, at the foot of a hill, where we found 



OUR FIRST TROPICAL JOURNEY. 47 

several four -mule carriages awaiting our arrival. The 
drive up from the station to the town, over a pass in the 
Organ mountains, was superb. At each turn of the road 
we had an ever-varying view of the city of Rio and its 
magnificent bay. And then the banks of this tropical 
high-road ! From out a mass of rich verdure grew lovely 
scarlet begonias, and spotted caladiums, shaded by grace- 
ful tree-ferns and overhung by trees full of exquisite 
parasites and orchids. Among these the most conspic- 
uous, after the palms, are the tall thin-stemmed sloth- 
trees, so called from their being a favorite resort of the 
sloth, who with great difficulty crawls up into one of them, 
remains there until he has demolished every leaf, and 
then passes on to the next tree. 

The pace of the mules, up the steep incline, under 
a broiling sun, was really wonderful. Half-way up we 
stopped to change, at a buvette, where we procured some 
excellent Brazilian coffee, of fine but exceedingly bitter 
flavor. Our next halt, midway between the buvette and 
the top of the hill, was at a spring of clear sparkling water, 
where we had an opportunity of collecting some ferns and 
flowers ; and on reaching the summit we stopped once 
more, to enjoy the fine view over the Pass and the bay of 
Nictherohy. The descent towards Petropolis then com- 
menced : it lies in the hollow of the hills, with a river 
flowing through the center of its broad streets, on either 
side of which are villas and avenues of noble trees. Alto- 
gether it reminded me of Bagneres-de-Luchon, in the Py- 
renees, though the general effect is unfortunately marred 
by the gay and rather too fantastic painting of some of 
the houses. 

Tuesday, August 22a 1 . — We were called at half -past 
five, and, after a hasty breakfast, started on horseback by 
seven o'clock for the Virgin Forest, about six miles from 
Petropolis. After leaving the town and its suburbs, we 
pursued our way by rough winding paths, across which 
huge moths and butterflies flitted, and humming-birds 



4 8 A VIRGIN FOREST. 

buzzed in the almond-trees. After a ride of an hour and 
a half, we entered the silence and gloom of a vast forest. 
On every side extended a tangled mass of wild, luxuriant 
vegetation : giant-palms, and tree-ferns, and parasites are 
to be seen in all directions, growing wherever they can 
find root-hold. Sometimes they kill the tree which they 
favor with their attentions — one creeper, in particular, 
being called ' Mata-pao ' or ' Kill-tree ; ' but, as a rule, they 
seem to get on very well together, and to depend mutu- 
ally upon one another for nourishment and support. The 
most striking of these creepers is, perhaps, the liane, whose 
tendrils grow straight downwards to the ground, twisting 
themselves together in knots and bundles. Occasionally 
one sees, suspended from a tree, at a height of some fifty 
feet, a large lump of moss, from which scarlet orchids are 
growing, looking like an enormous hanging flower-basket. 
All colors in Brazil, whether of birds, insects, or flowers, 
are brilliant in the extreme. Blue, violet, orange, scarlet, 
and yellow are found in the richest profusion, and no pale 
or faint tints are to be seen. Even white seems purer, 
clearer, and deeper than the white of other countries. 

We had a long, wet walk in the forest ; the mosses and 
ferns being kept moist and green by the innumerable little 
streams of water which abound everywhere. Owing to 
the thickness of the surrounding jungle, it was impossible 
to stray from our very narrow path, notwithstanding the 
attractions of humming-birds, butterflies, and flowers. At 
last we came to an opening in the wood, whence we had 
a splendid view seawards, and where it was decided to 
turn round and retrace our steps through the forest. Af- 
ter walking some distance we found our horses wait- 
ing, and after a hot but pleasant ride reached Petropolis 
by twelve o'clock, in time for breakfast. Letter-writing 
and butterfly-catching occupied the afternoon until four 
o'clock, when I was taken out for a drive in a comfortable 
little phaeton, with a pretty pair of horses, while the rest of 
the party walked out to see a little more of Petropolis and 



PETROPOLIS. 49 

its environs. We drove past the Emperor's palace — an 
Italian villa, standing in the middle of a large garden — 
the new church, and the houses of the principal inhab- 
itants, most of which are shut up just now, as everybody 
is out of town, but it all looked very green and pleasant. 
It was interesting to see a curious breed of dogs, de- 
scended from the bloodhounds formerly used in hunting 
the poor Indians. 

Wednesday, August 23d. — At six o'clock we all assem- 
bled on the balcony of the hotel to wait for the coach, which 
arrived shortly afterwards. There was some little delay 
and squabbling before we all found ourselves safely estab- 
lished on the coach, but starting was quite another mat- 
ter, for the four white mules resolutely refused to move, 
without a vast amount of screaming and shouting and 
plunging. We had to pull up once or twice before we 
got clear of the town to allow more passengers to be some- 
how or other squeezed in, and at each fresh start similar 
objections on the part of the mules had to be overcome. 

The air felt fresh when we started, but before we had 
proceeded far we came into a thick, cold, wet fog, which, 
after the heat of the last few weeks, seemed to pierce 
us to the very marrow. Eight miles farther on the four 
frisky white mules were exchanged for five steady dun- 
colored ones, which were in their turn replaced after a 
seven-mile stage by four nice bays, who took us along at 
a tremendous pace. The sun began by this time to pene- 
trate the mist, and the surrounding country became visi- 
ble. We found that we were following the course of the 
river, passing through an avenue of coral-trees, loaded 
with the most brilliant flowers and fruit imaginable, and 
full of paroquets and fluttering birds of many hues. 

We stopped at several small villages, and at about 11 
a.m. reached Entre Rios, having changed mules seven 
times, and done the $g}4 miles in four hours and fifty 
minutes, including stoppages — pretty good work, espe- 
cially as the heat during the latter portion of the journey 

4 



5° 



PALMEIRAS. 



had been as great as the cold was at the commencement. 
The term ' cold ' must here be taken only in a relative 
sense, for the thermometer was never lower than 48 , 
though, having been accustomed for a long while to 85 , 
we felt the change severely. 

After a capital breakfast at the inn near the station, 
we got into the train and began a very hot dusty journey 
over the Serra to Palmeiras, which place was reached at 
4 p.m. We were met on our arrival by Dr. Gunning, 
who kindly made room for Tom and me at his house, 
the rest of our party proceeding to the hotel. The view 
from the windows of the house, which is situated on the 
very edge of a hill, over the mountains of the Serra, glow- 
ing with the light of the setting sun, was perfectly en- 
chanting ; and after a refreshing cold bath one was able 
to appreciate it as it deserved. A short stroll into the 
forest adjoining the house proved rich in treasures, for in 
a few minutes I had gathered twenty-six varieties of ferns, 
including gold and silver ferns, two creeping ferns, and 
many other kinds. The moon rose, and the fireflies 
flashed about among the palm-trees, as we sat in the 
veranda before dinner, while in -several places on the 
distant hills we could see circles of bright flames, where 
the forest had been set on fire in order to make clearings. 

We were up next morning in time to see the sun rise 
from behind the mountains, and as it gradually became 
warmer the humming-birds and butterflies came out and 
buzzed and flitted among the flowers in front of our 
windows. We had planned to devote the day to a visit 
to Barra, and it was therefore necessary to hurry to 
the station by eight o'clock to meet the train, where we 
stopped twenty minutes to breakfast at what appeared 
to be a capital hotel, built above the station. The rooms 
were large and lofty, everything was scrupulously clean, 
and the dishes most appetizing-looking. Our carriage was 
then shunted and hooked on to the other train, and we pro- 
ceeded to the station of Santa Anna, where Mr. Faro met 



SANTA ANNA. 



51 



us with eight mules and horses, and a large old-fashioned 
carriage, which held some of us, the rest of the party 
galloping on in front. We galloped also, and upset one 
unfortunate horse, luckily without doing him any harm. 
After a couple of miles of a rough road we arrived at the 
gates of the Baron's grounds, where the old negro slave- 
coachman amused us very much by ordering his young 
master to conduct the equestrians round to the house by 
another way. Beneath the avenue of palm-trees, leading 
from the gates to the house, grew orange, lemon, and 
citron trees, trained as espaliers, while behind them again 
tall rose-bushes and pomegranates showed their bright 
faces. Driving through an archway we arrived at the 
house, and, with much politeness and many bows, were 
conducted in-doors, in order that we might rest ourselves 
and get rid of some of the dust of our journey. 

Santa Anna is one of the largest coffee fazendas in this 
part of Brazil. The house occupies three sides of a square, 
in the middle of which heaps of coffee were spread out to 
dry in the sun. The center building is the dwelling-house, 
with a narrow strip of garden, full of sweet-smelling flowers, 
in front of it ; the right wing is occupied by the slaves' 
shops and warehouses, and by the chapel ; while the left 
wing contains the stables, domestic offices, and other slave- 
rooms. 

By law, masters are bound to give their slaves one day's 
rest in every seven, and any work the slaves may choose to 
do on that day is paid for at the same rate as free labor. 
But the day selected for this purpose is not necessarily 
Sunday ; and on adjoining fazendas different days are inva- 
riably chosen, in order to prevent the slaves from meeting 
and getting into mischief. Thursday (to-day) was Sunday 
on this estate, and we soon saw all the slaves mustering in 
holiday attire in the shade of one of the verandas. They 
were first inspected, and then ranged in order, the children 
being placed in front, the young women next, then the old 
women, the old men, and finally the young men. In this 



52 



LIFE AT A COFFEE PLANTATION. 



order they marched into the corridor facing the chapel, to 
hear mass. The priest and his acolyte, in gorgeous robes, 
performed the usual service, and the slaves chanted the re- 
sponses in alternate companies, so that sopranos, contraltos, 
tenors, and basses contrasted in a striking and effective 
manner. The singing, indeed, was excellent ; far better 
than in many churches at home. After the conclusion of 
the mass the master shook hands with everybody, ex- 
changed good wishes with his slaves, and dismissed them. 
While they were dawdling about, gossiping in the ve- 
randa, I had a closer look at the babies, which had all been 
brought to church. They seemed of every shade of color, 
the complexions of some being quite fair, but the young- 
est, a dear little woolly-headed thing, was black as jet, and 
only three weeks old. The children all seemed to be on 
very good terms with their master and his overseers, and 
not a bit afraid of them. They are fed most liberally, 
and looked fat and healthy. For breakfast they have cof- 
fee and bread ; for dinner, fresh pork alternately with dried 
beef, and black beans (the staple food of the poor of this 
country) ; and for supper they have coffee, bread, and man- 
dioca, or tapioca. 

Returning to the house, we sat down, a party of thirty, 
to an elaborate breakfast, the table being covered with all 
sorts of Brazilian delicacies, after which several complimen- 
tary speeches were made, and we all started off to walk 
round the fazenda. Our first visit was to the little school- 
children, thirty-four in number, who sang very nicely. Then 
to the hospital, a clean, airy building, in which there were 
happily but few patients, and next we inspected the new 
machinery, worked by water-power, for cleaning the coffee 
and preparing it for market. The harvest lasts from May 
to August. The best quality of coffee is picked before it is 
quite ripe, crushed to free it from the husk, and then dried 
in the sun, sometimes in heaps, and sometimes raked out 
flat, in order to gain the full benefit of the heat. It is af- 
terwards gathered up into baskets and carefully picked 



CASSAVA. 



53 



over, and this, being very light work, is generally per- 
formed by young married women with babies. There 
were nineteen tiny pickaninnies, in baskets, beside their 
mothers, in one room we entered, and in another there 
were twenty just able to run about. 

Cassava is an important article of food here, and it was 
interesting to watch the various processes by which it is 
turned into flour, tapioca, or starch. As it is largely ex- 
ported, there seems no reason why it should not be intro- 
duced into India, for the ease with which it is cultivated 
and propagated, the extremes of temperature it will bear, 
and the abundance of its crop, all tend to recommend it. 
We went on to look at the maize being shelled, crushed, 
and ground into coarse or fine flour, for cakes and bread, 
and the process of crushing the sugar-cane, turning its 
juice into sugar and rum, and its refuse into potash. All 
the food manufactured here is used on the estate ; coffee 
alone is exported. I felt thoroughly exhausted by the 
time we returned to the house, only to exchange adieus 
and step into the carriage on our way to Barra by rail en 
route to Rio de Janeiro. After passing through several 
long tunnels at the top of the Serra, the line drops down 
to Palmeira, after which the descent became very pictu- 
resque, as we passed, by steep inclines, through virgin 
forests full of creepers, ferns, flowers, and orchids. The 
sunset was magnificent, and the subsequent coolness of 
the atmosphere most grateful. Leaving the Emperor's 
palace of Sao Christovao behind, Rio was entered from a 
fresh side. It seemed a long drive through the streets to 
the Hotel de l'Europe, where, after an excellent though 
hurried dinner, we contrived to be in time for a private 
representation at the Alcazar. As a rule, ladies do not 
go to this theater, but there were a good many there on 
the present occasion. Neither the play nor the actors, 
however, were very interesting, and all our party were ex- 
cessively tired ; so we left early, and had a delightful row 
off to the yacht, in the bright moonlight. 



54 



SLA VE-DEALING. 



Monday, August 2%th. — We have all been so much 
interested in the advertisements we read in the daily 
papers of slaves to be sold or hired, that arrangements 
were made with a Brazilian gentleman for some of our 
party to have an opportunity of seeing the way in which 
these transactions are carried on. No Englishman is al- 
lowed to hold slaves here, and it is part of the business 
of the Legation to see that this law is strictly enforced. 
The secrets of their trade are accordingly jealously guard- 
ed by the natives, especially from the English. The gen- 
tlemen had therefore to disguise themselves as much as 
possible, one pretending to be a rich Yankee, who had 
purchased large estates between Santos and San Paulo, 
which he had determined to work with slave instead of 
coolie labor. He was supposed to have come to Rio to 
select some slaves, but would be obliged to see and con- 
sult his partner before deciding on purchase. They were 
taken to a small shop in the city, and, after some delay, 
were conducted to a room upstairs, where they waited a 
quarter of an hour. Twenty-two men and eleven women 
and children were then brought in for inspection. They 
declared themselves suitable for a variety of occupations, 
in-door and out, and all appeared to look anxiously at 
their possible purchaser, with a view to ascertain what 
they had to hope for in the future. One couple in par- 
ticular, a brother and sister, about fourteen and fifteen 
years old respectively, were most anxious not to be sep- 
arated, but to be sold together ; and the tiny children 
seemed quite frightened at being spoken to or touched 
by the white men. Eight men and five women having 
been specially selected as fit subjects for further consider- 
ation, the visit terminated. 

The daily Brazilian papers are full of advertisements 
of slaves for sale, and descriptions of men, pigs, children, 
cows, pianos, women, houses, &c, to be disposed of, are 
inserted in the most indiscriminate manner. In one short 
half-column of the ' Jornal do Commercio,' published 



HUMAN FLESH AND BLOOD FOR SALE. 



55 



within the last day or two' the following announcements, 
amongst many similar ones, appear side by side : — 



VENDE-SE uma escrava, de 22 annos, 
boa figura, lava, engomma e cose bem ; 
informa-se na rua de S. Pedro n. 97. 



VENDE-SE ou aluga-se um rico piano 
forte do autor Erard, de 3 cordas, por 
280$, garantido ; na rua da Quitanda n. 42, 
2 andar. 



VENDE-SE, por 1,500$, um escravo de 
20 annos, para servico de padaria ; na 
rua da Princeza dos Cajueiros n. 97. 



VENDE-SE uma machima Singer, para 
qualquer costura, trabalha perfeita- 
mente, por prefo muito commodo ; trata-se 
na rua do Sabao n. 95. 



VENDE-SE uma preta mofa, boa figura e 
de muito boa indole, com tres filhos, 
sendo uma negrinha de 6 annos, um moleque 
de s e uma ingenua de 3, cabenda cozinhar 
bem, lavar e engommar ; na mesma casa 
vende-se so uma negrinha de 12 annos, de 
conducta afian^ada e muito propria para 
servico de casa de familia, por ja ter bons 
principios, tendo vindo de Santa Catharina ; 
na rua da Uruguayana n. 90 sobrado. 



VENDE-SE o Diccionario portuguez de 
Lacerda, em dous grandes volumes, 
novo, vindo pelo ultimo paquete, por 30$, 
custao aqui 40$; na rua do Hospicio n. 15, 
2 andar. 



VENDE-SE uma preta de meia idade, 
que cozinha, lava, e engomma com 
perfeicao ; para tratar na rua do Viscande 
de Itauna n. 12. 



FOR SALE. — A female slave, 22 years of 
age, a good figure, washes, irons, and 
sews well ; for particulars apply at No. 97 
rua de S. Pedro. 



FOR SALE, OR TO BE LET ON 
Hire. — A splendid trichord pianoforte 
by Erard, for $280, guaranteed ; apply at 
rua da Quitanda No. 42, 2d floor. 



TO BE SOLD FOR $1,500.— A male 
slave 20 years of age, fit for a baker's 
establishment ; apply at rua da Princeza dos 
Cajueiros No. 97. 



FOR SALE. — On very reasonable terms, 
a Singer's sewing-machine, adapted for 
any description of work ; works splendidly ; 
apply at No. 95 rua do Sabao. 



FOR SALE. — A good black woman, good 
figure, good disposition, with three 
children, who are a little black girl 6 years 
of age, a black boy of 5, and a child 3 years 
of age ; she is a good cook, washes and irons 
well. At the same house there is likewise 
for sale a little black girl 12 years of age : 
her character will be guaranteed ; she is well 
adapted for the service of a family, as she 
has had a good beginning, having come from 
Santa Catharina ; apply at No. 90 rua da 
Uruguayana, first floor. 



FOR SALE.— Lacerda's Portuguese Dic- 
tionary, in two large volumes, quite 
new, arrived by the last mail, price §30, 
costs here §40; No. 15 rua do Hospicio, 
2d floor. 

FOR SALE.— A middle-aged black wo- 
man, who is a first-rate cook, washes 
and irons splendidly ; for particulars apply 
at No. 12 rua do Viscande de Itauna No. 



VENDEM-SE arreios para carrocinhas I,"* OR SALE. — Harnesses for small carts for 
de pao ; na rua do General Camara n. I _T delivery of bread ; apply at No. 
86, placa. 1 do General Camara. 



VENDEM-SE 20 moleques de 14 a 20 
annos, vindos do Maranhao no ultimo 
vapor ; na rua da Prainha n. 72. 



FOR SALE. — 20 young blacks from 14 ' 
to 20 years of age just arrived from 
Maranham by the last steamer ; No. 72 rua 
da Prainha. 



We had many visitors to breakfast to-day, and it was 
nearly two o'clock before we could set off for the shore en 
route to Tijuca. We drove nearly as far as the Botanical 
Gardens, where it had been arranged that horses should 
meet us ; but our party was such a large one, including 
children and servants, that some little difficulty occurred 



56 



TROPICAL RAIN. 



at this point in making a fair st&rt. It was therefore late 
before we started, the clouds were beginning to creep 
down the sides of the hills, and it had grown very dusk 
by the time we reached the Chinisi river. Soon after- 
wards the rain began to come down in such tropical tor- 
rents, that our thin summer clothing was soaked through 
and through long before we reached the Tijuca. At last, 
to our great joy, we saw ahead of us large plantations- of 
bananas, and then some gaslights, which exist # even in 
this remote locality. We followed them for some little 
distance, but my horse appeared to have such a very de- 
cided opinion as to the proper direction for us to take, 
that we finally decided to let him have his own way, for 
it was by this time pitch dark, and ndne of us had ever 
been this road before. As we hoped, the horse knew his 
own stables, and we soon arrived at the door of White's 
hotel, miserable, drenched objects, looking forward to a 
complete change of clothing. Unfortunately the cart 
with our luggage had not arrived, so it was in clothes 
borrowed from kind friends that we at last sat down, a 
party of about forty, to a sort of table-d'hote dinner, and 
it continued to pour with rain during the whole evening, 
only clearing up just at bed-time. 

Tuesday, August 2gtk. — After all the fine weather we 
have had lately, it was provoking to find, on getting up 
this morning, that the rain still came steadily down. 
Daylight enabled us to see what a quaint-looking place 
this hotel is. It consists of a series of low, wooden de- 
tached buildings, mostly one story high, with verandas 
on both sides, built round a long courtyard, in the center 
of which are a garden and some large trees. It is more 
like a boarding-house, however, than an hotel, as there is 
a fixed daily charge for visitors, who have to be provided 
with a letter of introduction ! The situation and gardens 
are good ; it contains among other luxuries a drawing- 
room, with a delightful swimming-bath for ladies, and 
another for gentlemen. ■ A mountain stream is turned into 



THE BOWLDERS. 



57 



two large square reservoirs* where you can disport your- 
self under the shade of bananas and palm-trees, while 
orange-trees, daturas, poinsettias, and other planjs, in full 
bloom, drop their fragrant flowers into the crystal water v 
There is also a nice little bathing-house, with a douche w 
outside ; and the general arrangements seem really per- 
fect. The views from the walks around the hotel and in 
the forest above are beautiful, as, indeed, they are from 
every eminence in the neighborhood of Rio. 

During the morning the weather cleared sufficiently 
for us to go down to ' The Bowlders,' huge masses of rock, 
either of the glacial period, or else thrown out from some 
mighty volcano into the valley beneath. Here they form 
great caverns and caves, overhung with creepers, and so 
blocked up at the entrance, that it is difficult to find the 
way into them. The effect of the alternate darkness and 
light, amid twisted creepers, some like gigantic snakes, 
others neatly coiled in true man-of-war fashion, is very 
striking and fantastic. Every crevice is full of ferns and 
orchids and curious plants, while moths and butterflies 
flit about in every direction. Imagine, if you can, scarlet 
butterflies gayly spotted, yellow butterflies with orange 
edgings, butterflies with dark-blue, velvety-looking upper 
wings, the under surface studded with bright, owl-like pea- 
cock eyes, gray Atlas moths, and, crowning beauty of all, 
metallic blue butterflies, which are positively dazzling, 
even when seen in a shop, dead. Imagine what they 
must be like, as they dart hither and thither, reflecting 
the bright sunshine from their wings, or enveloped in the 
somber shade of a forest. Most of them measure from 
two to ten inches in length from wing to wing, and many 
others flit about, equally remarkable for their beauty, 
though not so large. Swallow-tails, of various colors, 
with tails almost as long, in proportion to their bodies, 
as those of their feathered namesakes ; god-parents and 
' eighty-eights,' with the figures 88 plainly marked on the 
reverse side of their rich blue or crimson wings. In fact, 



58 PEDRO BONITO. 

if Nature could by any possibility be gaudy, one might 
almost say that she is so in this part of the world. 

From ' The Bowlders ' we went down a kind of natural 
staircase in the rock to the small cascade, which, owing to 
^he recent rains, appeared to the best advantage, the black 
rocks and thick vegetation forming a fine background to 
the sheet of flowing white water and foam. Our way lay 
first through some castor-oil plantations, and then along 
the side of a stream, fringed with rare ferns, scarlet bego- 
nias, and gray ageratum. We returned to the hotel, too 
late for the general luncheon, and, after a short rest, went 
out for a gallop in the direction of the peak of Tijuca, 
past the large waterfall, the ' Ladies' Mile,' and ' Grey's 
View.' The forest is Government property ; the roads 
are therefore excellent, and are in many places planted 
with flowers and shrubs, rare even here. It seems a waste 
of money, however ; for there is hardly any one to make 
use of the wide roads, and the forest would appear quite 
as beautiful in its pristine luxuriance. To our eyes the 
addition of flowers from other countries is no improve- 
ment, though the feeling is otherwise here. More than 
once I have had a bouquet of common stocks given to me 
as a grand present, while orchids, gardenias, .stephanotis, 
large purple, pink, and white azaleas, orange-blossom, and 
roses, were growing around in unheeded profusion. 

Wednesday, August 30th. — Once more a wet morning ; 
but as it cleared towards noon, we ordered horses and some 
luncheon, and went up. to Pedro Bonito. The ride was 
pleasant enough at first, but as we mounted higher and 
higher, we got into the clouds and lost the view. Finally 
there seemed nothing for it but to halt near the top, under 
a grove of orange-trees, lunch in the pouring rain, and re- 
turn without having reached the summit. 

Friday, September 1st. — At three o'clock this morning, 
when I awoke, I saw at last a bright, clear sky, and at five, 
finding that there was every prospect of a beautiful sun- 
rise, we sent for horses, ate our early breakfast, and set 



THE PEAK OF TIJUCA. 59 

off for the peak of Tijuca. Step by step we climbed, first 
through the grounds of the hotel, then through the forest, 
till we reached 'The Bamboos,' a favorite halting-place, 
by the side of a stream, near which grow, in waving tufts, 
the graceful trees which lend their name to the spot. It 
was very beautiful in the hill -side forest, with a new 
prospect opening out at every step, and set in an ever- 
varying natural framework of foliage and flowers. There 
was not sufficient time to linger, however, as we would 
fain have done, in the cool and shady paths, occasionally 
illumed by the bright rays of the sun, shining through 
the foliage of noble palms, the fronds of tree-ferns, and the 
spiral stems of many-colored creepers. 

Before reaching the top of the peak, there are twenty- 
nine wooden and ninety-six stone steps to be ascended, at 
the foot of which we tied our horses. An iron chain is 
hung by the side to assist you, without which it would be 
rather giddy work, for the steps are steep, and there is a 
sheer precipice on one side of them. Arrived at the top, 
the scene was glorious ; on every side mountains beyond 
mountains stretch far away into the distance, and one 
can see as far north as Cape Frio, and southwards as far 
as Rio Grande do Sul, while beneath lies the bay of Rio 
with its innumerable islands, islets, and indentations. 
All too soon we had to scramble down again, and mount 
our horses for a hurried return to the hotel, there being 
barely time for lunch and a scramble to the yacht. 

Monday, September 4-tk. — We were all up very early 
this morning, superintending the preparations for our eld- 
est boy's departure for England. The yacht had been 
gayly dressed with flags, in honor of the anniversary of 
the Emperor's wedding-day ; but it must be confessed 
that our own feelings were hardly in accordance with 
these external symbols of joy. Breakfast was a melan- 
choly meal, and I fear that the visitors from the ' Volage ' 
were not very well entertained-. After breakfast, we went 
ashore to the market, to get a couple of lion-monkeys, 



6o A VERY SAD DAY. 

which had been kept for us, and which Tab was to take 
home with him to present to the Zoological Gardens. At 
one o'clock the steam launch from the ' Volage ' came 
alongside and embarked the luggage and servants. Half 
an hour later it returned for us ; then came many tearful 
farewells to the crew, and we set off. We knew the part- 
ing had to be made, but this did not lessen our grief ; for 
although it is at all times hard to say good-by for a long 
period to those nearest and dearest to you, it is especially 
so in a foreign land, with the prospect of a long voyage on 
both sides. Moreover, it is extremely uncertain when we 
shall hear of our boy's safe arrival ; not, I fear, until we 
get to Valparaiso, and then only by telegram — a long time 
to look forward to. Over the next half-hour I had better 
draw a vail. 

At two o'clock precisely, just after we had left the 
steamer, the starting bell rang, and the ' Cotopaxi ' steamed 
away. As she passed the yacht, all our flags were dipped 
and the guns fired. Then we could see her rolling on 
the bar, for, calm as the water was in the bay, there was 
a heavy swell outside ; and then, all too soon, we lost 
sight of her, as she sank, 

' . . . with all we love, below the verge.' 

We heard to-day that, the Saturday before our first 
arrival at Rio, the bar was quite impassable, even for a 
man-of-war, and that, although she succeeded the next 
day, the sea was extremely rough. 

On our return to the ' Sunbeam,' I went to bed to 
rest, and the remainder of the party went ashore. A 
great many visitors came on board in the course of the 
afternoon ; some remained to dine with us. At half-past 
nine we all went on shore again to a ball at the Casino, 
the grand public room in Rio, to which we had been in- 
vited some days ago. It seemed a splendid place, beauti- 
fully decorated in white and gold and crimson, with fres- 
cos and pictures let into the walls, and surrounded by gal- 



A BRAZIL TAX BALL. 6 I 

leries. It is capable of containing fifteen hundred per- 
sons, and I believe that there were even more than that 
number present on the occasion of the ball given to the 
Duke of Edinburgh some years ago. The arrangement of 
the large cloak-rooms, refreshment - rooms, and passages 
downstairs, and the balconies and supper-rooms upstairs, 
is very convenient. The ball this evening being compara- 
tively a small affair, the lower rooms only were used, and 
proved amply sufficient. There were not a great many 
ladies present, but amongst those we saw some were ex- 
tremely pretty, and all were exquisitely dressed in the 
latest fashions from Paris. The toilets of the younger 
ones looked fresh and simple, while those of the married 
ladies displayed considerable richness and taste ; for al- 
though Brazilian ladies do not go out much, and, as a 
rule, remain en peignoir until late in the afternoon, they 
never fail to exhibit great judgment in the selection of 
their costumes. 

The floor was excellent, but the band made rather too 
much noise, and the dancing was different, both in style 
and arrangement, from what we are accustomed to at 
home. 

The time had now come when we had to say farewell to 
the many kind friends whom we have met here, and who 
have made life so pleasant to us during the last three 
weeks, in order that we might return to the yacht, to 
complete our preparation for an early start. The last 
leave-takings were soon over, and, with mutually ex- 
pressed hopes that we might ere long meet some of our 
friends in England, Tom and I drove off, in the bright 
moonlight, to the quay, where our boat was waiting for 
us. The other members of our party found the attrac- 
tions of the ball so irresistible that they were unable to 
tear themselves away until a much later hour. 




The Three Navigators. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE RIVER PLATE. 



Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, 
They coiled and swam ; and every track 
Was a flash of golden fire. 

Tuesday, September ^th. — We got under way at 6 a.m., 
and soon bade adieu to Rio, where we have spent so many 
happy days, and to our friends on board H.M.S. ' Volage ' 
and ' Ready,' with whom we interchanged salutes in pass- 
ing. It was a dull, wet morning, and we could not see 
much of the beauties we were leaving behind us. The 
peak of Tijuca and the summit of the Corcovado were 
scarcely visible, and the Sugarloaf and Gavia looked cold 
and gray in the early mist. It was not long before we 
were rolling on the bar, and then tumbling about in very 
uncomfortable fashion in the rough sea outside. One by 
one we all disappeared below, where most of us remained 

62 



TOO NEAR TO BE PLEASANT. 63 

during the greater part of the day. As for me, I went to 
bed for good at six o'clock in the evening, but was called 
up again at ten, to see some large bonitos playing about 
the bows of the yacht. It was really worth the trouble 
of getting up and climbing quite into the bows of the ves- 
sel to watch them, as they gamboled and frisked about, 
brightly illumined by the phosphorescence of the water, 
now swimming together steadily in pairs or fours, now 
starting in sudden pursuit of one of their number, who 
would make an independent rush forward in advance of 
his companions. 

Saturday, September gt/i. — The last three days have 
been showery, with squalls which have freshened to a gale, 
and we are now scudding along, under all storm canvas, 
followed by crowds of cape-pigeons and cape-hens, and a 
few albatrosses. Towards this evening, however, the wind 
fell light, and we got up steam, in order to be prepared 
for any emergency, as a calm is frequently succeeded on 
this coast by a pampero, and we are now approaching a 
lee shore. 

Sunday, September lot/i. — Tom has been on deck nearly 
all night. The shore is very low and difficult to distin- 
guish, and the lights are badly kept. If the lighthouse- 
keeper happens to have plenty of oil, and is not out 
shooting or fishing, he lights his lamp ; otherwise, he 
omits to perform this rather important part of his duties. 
The lighthouses can therefore hardly be said to be of much 
use. About 5 a.m., Kindred rushed down into our cabin, 
and woke Tom, calling out, ' Land to leeward, sir ! ' and 
then rushed up on deck again. The first glimmer of dawn 
had enabled him to see that we were running straight on 
to the low sandy, shore, about three miles off, a very strong 
current having set us ten miles out of our course. The 
yacht's head was accordingly at once put round, and 
steaming seaward we soon left all danger behind. The 
sun rose brilliantly, and the weather during the day was 
very fine. Morning service was impossible, owing to the 



64 MONTE VIDEO. 

necessity for a constant observation of the land ; but, after 
making the lighthouse on Santa Maria, we had prayers 
at 4.30 p.m., with the hymn, ' For those at Sea.' In the 
night we made the light on Flores, burning brightly, and 
before morning those in the harbor of Monte Video. 

Monday, September nth. — After making the Flores 
light we proceeded slowly, and dropped our anchor in 
the outer roads of Monte Video at 4 a.m. At seven 
o'clock we got it up again, and by eight were anchored 
close to the shore. We found that our arrival was ex- 
pected, and the health-officers' boat was soon alongside. 
Next came an officer from the United States' man-of- 
war ' Frolic,' with polite messages and offers of service ; 
and then a steam-launch belonging to the Pacific Com- 
pany, and another from the Consul, Major Monro, with 
piles of letters and newspapers for us. 

Monte Video, as seen from the water, is not an im- 
posing-looking place. On the opposite side of the en- 
trance to the harbor rises a hill, called the Cerro, 450 feet 
high, from which the town derives its name, and further 
inland, on the town side, is another eminence, 200 feet 
high, called the Cerrito. With these exceptions the sur- 
rounding country looks perfectly flat, without even a tree 
to break the monotony. 

Soon after breakfast we went ashore — in more senses 
of the word than one ; for they have commenced to build 
a mole for the protection of small vessels, which, in its 
unfinished state, is not yet visible above the water. The 
consequence was that, at a distance of about half a mile 
from the landing-steps, we rowed straight on to the sub- 
merged stonework, but fortunately got off again very 
quickly, without having sustained any damage. On land- 
ing, we found ourselves opposite the Custom House, a 
fine building, with which we afterwards made a closer 
acquaintance. 

There is a large and very good hotel here, l'Hotel 
Oriental. It is a handsome building outside, and the 



COSMOPOLITAN ARCHITECTURE. 65 

interior is full of marble' courts, stone corridors, and lofty 
rooms, deliciously cool in the hottest weather. Having 
procured a carriage, Tom and I and the children drove 
through the streets, which are wide and handsome, though 
badly paved, and so full of holes that it is a wonder 
how the springs of a carriage can last a week. The 
houses seem built chiefly in the Italian style of archi- 
tecture, with fine stucco fronts, and in many cases marble 
floors and facings, while the courtyards, seen through the 
grilles, blazed with flowers. All the lower windows were 
strongly barred, a predaution by no means unnecessary 
against the effects of the revolutions, which are of such 
frequent occurrence in this country. To enable the in- 
habitants the better to enjoy the sea-breeze, the tops of 
the houses are all flat, which gives the town, from a dis- 
tance, somewhat of an Eastern appearance. There are 
a great many Italian immigrants here, and most of the 
building and plastering work is done by them. 

The Paseo del Molino is the best part of the town, 
where all the rich merchants reside in quintas, surrounded 
by pretty gardens. They are very fantastic in their 
ideas of architectural style, and appear to bestow their 
patronage impartially, not to say indiscriminately, upon 
Gothic cathedrals, Alhambra palaces, Swiss cottages, 
Italian villas, and Turkish mosques. Except for this va- 
riety, the suburb has somewhat the appearance of the 
outskirts of many of the towns on the Riviera, with the 
same sub-tropical surroundings. These are, however, hard 
times on the River Plate, and more than half the quintas 
are deserted and falling into ruins. On our way back, by 
the Union Road, we met a great many of the native 
bullock-carts going home from market. These huge con- 
veyances are covered with hides, and are drawn by teams 
of from two to twelve bullocks, yoked in pairs, and driven 
by a man on horseback, who carries a sharp-pointed goad, 
with which he prods the animals all round, at intervals. 
Dressed in a full white linen shirt and trousers, with his 
5 



66 SHOALS AND WRECKS. 

bright poncho and curious saddle-gear, he forms no un- 
important figure in the picturesque scene. In the large 
market-place there are hundreds of these carts, with their 
owners encamped around them. 

When we at last arrived on board the yacht again, at 
three o'clock, we found that the miseries of coaling were 
not yet over, and that there had been numerous visitors 
from the shore. Everything on deck looked black, while 
below all was pitch dark and airless, every opening and 
crevice having been closed and covered with tarpaulin, to 
keep out the coal dust. It took seven hours to complete 
the work, instead of two, as was hoped and promised, so 
our chance of starting to-day is over. This seemed the 
more disappointing, because, had we foreseen the delay, 
we might have made other arrangements for seeing more 
on shore. 

Tuesday, September \2th. — The anchor was up, and we 
were already beginning to steam away, when I came on 
deck this morning, just in time to see the first faint streaks 
of dawn appearing in the gray sky. The River Plate here 
is over a hundred miles wide, and its banks are very flat ; 
so there was nothing to be seen, except the two little hills 
of Cerro and Cerrito, and the town of Monte Viedo, fast 
vanishing in the distance. The channels are badly buoyed, 
and there are shoals and wrecks on all sides. The light- 
ships are simply old hulks, with no special marks by 
which to distinguish them ; and as they themselves look 
exactly like wrecks, they are not of much assistance in 
the navigation, which is very confusing, and sometimes 
perilous. Once we very nearly ran aground, but discov- 
ered just in time that the vessel we were steering for 
with confidence was only a wreck, on a dangerous shoal, 
and that the light-ship itself was further ahead. The 
yacht was immediately put about, and we just skirted the 
bank in turning. 

The weather improved during the day, and a fine sun- 
set was followed by a clear starlight night. At 10.30p.m. 



A PERILOUS PIER. 67 

we dropped our anchor outside all the other vessels in 
the roads at Buenos Ayres, eight miles from the shore. 
The light-ship only carried an ordinary riding light, like 
any other vessel, so that it was almost impossible, unlcs3 
you knew the port very well, to go in closer to the land 
at night. 

Wednesday, September \^th. — Daylight did not enable 
us to distinguish the town, for the river here is wide and 
the banks are low, and we were lying a long way from 
the shore, outside a great many fine-looking ships, at 
anchor in the roads. About nine o'clock a German cap- 
tain, in a large whale-boat, came alongside and told us 
we were nearly eight miles from Buenos Ayres. Tom 
arranged with him to take us ashore ; and accordingly we 
soon started. The water was smooth and there was a 
nice breeze, and we sailed gallantly along for about two 
hours, until we reached the town. After anchoring, we 
transhipped ourselves into a small boat, in which we were 
rowed to some steps, at the end of the long rickety mole, 
where we landed. Some of the planks of the pier were 
missing, leaving great holes, big enough to fall through, 
and others were so loose that when you stepped upon one 
end of them the other flew up almost into your face. 

Our first business was to secure the services of a pilot, 
to take us up to Rosario. The best man on the river was 
sent for; but when he came he did not recommend our 
undertaking the voyage, as the water is very low at pres- 
ent, and we might get stuck on a sandbank, and be 
detained for some days, although no further harm would 
be likely to occur to us. We decided, therefore, as our 
time is precious, to give up the idea of making the expe- 
dition in the yacht, and to go in the ordinary river-boat 
instead. 

Under the guidance of some gentlemen, we then went 
to the Central Railway Station to send off some tele- 
grams, and thence to the River Plate Bank. The treasury 
contains £600,000 in British sovereigns, locked up in 



68 AN AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 

three strong safes, besides paper-money and securities to 
the amount of ^2,000,000. It was the Rosario branch of 
this bank which was recently robbed of ;£ 15,000 by an 
armed government force; an unprecedented proceeding 
in the history of nations, and one that might have led to 
the interference of foreign powers. 

There was time afterwards to go round and see some- 
thing of the city, which, like many other South American 
towns, is built in square blocks, all the streets running 
exactly at right angles one to another. There is a fine 
plaza, or grand square, in which are situated the cathedral, 
theater, &c, the center being occupied by a garden, con- 
taining statues and fountains. The various banks, with 
their marble facings, Corinthian columns, and splendid 
halls, are magnificent buildings, and look more like pal- 
aces than places of business. Some of the private houses, 
too, seem very handsome. Outside they are all faced 
with marble, to a certain height from the ground, the in- 
terior, consisting of courtyard within courtyard, being 
rather like that of a Pompeian house. 

We next went to the agricultural show, which, though 
not an imposing affair to our eyes, appeared really very 
creditable to those who had organized 'it. The horses 
and cattle looked small, but there were some good speci- 
mens of sheep — specially the rombonellis and ncgrettis, 
whose long fine wool was, however, only to be discovered 
by first turning aside a thick plaster of mud, beneath which 
it was concealed. We saw also some curious animals, na- 
tives of the country, such as vicunas, llamas, bizcachas, 
and various kinds of deer, a very mixed lot of poultry 
and dogs, and two magnificent Persian cats. Another 
department of the show was allotted to the commercial 
products of the country, animal, vegetable, and mineral ; 
the whole forming a very interesting collection. 

In re-embarking, the disagreeable process of this morn- 
ing had to be repeated — rickety pier, rotten steps, and 
small boat included — before we reached the whale-boat, 



AN UNCERTAIN ROADSTEAD. 



6 9 



after which we had an eight miles' sail out to the yacht. 
It was a cold, dull night, and getting on board proved 
rather difficult work, owing to the rough sea. 

Thursday, September i^th. — The pilot came on board 
at seven o'clock to take us in nearer the shore, but, after 
all, we found ourselves obliged to anchor again five miles 
off. No ship drawing more than ten feet can get inside 
the sandbanks, which makes it a wretched place to lie in, 
especially as the weather at this time of year is very un- 
certain. You may go ashore from your ship on a fine 
clear morning, and before you return a gale may have 
sprung up, accompanied by a frightful sea. Open boats 
are therefore quite unsafe, a state of things which has 
given rise to the existence of a class of fine boats, spe- 
cially built for the service, which attend all the ships lying 
in the roads. They are half-decked, will sail in any wea- 
ther, and can be easily managed by two men. 

About ten o'clock we went ashore again in the whale- 
boat, which Tom had engaged to wait on us during our 
stay, and made the best of our way to a warehouse to 
look at some ponchos, which are the specialty of this part 
of South America. Everybody wears one, from the beg- 
gar to the highest official. The best kind of ponchos are 
very expensive, being made from a particular part of the 
finest hair of the vicuna, hand-woven by women, in the 
province of Catamarca. The genuine article is difficult to 
get, even here. In the shops the price usually varies from 
^30 to £%o ; but we were shown some at a rather lower 
price — from ^20 to £60 each. They are soft as silk, per- 
fectly waterproof, and will wear, it is said, forever. We 
met a fine-looking man in one of beautiful quality yester- 
day. He told us that it originally cost £$0 in Catamarca, 
twenty years ago, and that he gave ,£20 for it, second- 
hand, ten years ago ; and, with the exception of a few 
slight tears, it is now as good as ever. Before we came 
here, we were strongly advised, in case we should happen 
to go on a rough expedition up country, not to be tempted 



7° 



VICUNA PONCHOS. 



to take with us any good ponchos, as the Guachos, or 
half-bred Indians of the Pampas, who are great connois- 
seurs of these articles, and can distinguish their quality at 
a glance, would not hesitate to cut our throats in order to 
obtain possession of them. 

The material of which they are made is of the closest 
texture, and as the hair has never been dressed or dyed, 
it retains all its natural oil and original color, the latter 
varying from a very pretty yellow fawn to a pale cream- 
color. The majority of the ponchos worn here are, how- 
ever, made at Manchester, of a cheap and inferior ma- 
terial. They look exactly like the real thing at first 
sight, but are neither so light nor so warm, nor do they 
wear at all well. Occasionally they are made of silk, 
but more often of bright-colored wool. In shape a pon- 
cho is simply a square shawl with a hole in the middle 
for the head of the wearer. On horseback the appear- 
ance is particularly picturesque, and it forms also a con- 
venient cloak, which comes well over the saddle, before 
and behind, and leaves the arms, though covered, per- 
fectly free. 

The natives, as a rule, wear a second poncho, generally 
of a different color, tucked into the waistband of their 
long full linen drawers [calzonillas), so as to make a pair 
of short baggy over-trousers. A poor man is content 
with a shirt, drawers, and two ponchos. A rich man has 
many rows of fringe and frills of lace at the bottom 
of his calzonillas, and wears a short coat, with silver but- 
tons, and a gorgeous silver belt, covered with dollars. 
His horse-fittings and massive stirrups (to say nothing 
of his enormous spurs) will be of solid silver, and his 
arms inlaid with the same metal. He will sometimes 
give as much as from £\o to ^"20 for a pair of stirrups 
alone, and the rest of his dress and equipment is pro- 
portionately expensive. The cost of the silver articles 
is little more than the value of the metal itself, which is 
of very pure quality, and is only roughly worked by the 



FEATHERED SENTINELS. 



71 



Indians or Guachos. But as Manchester provides the 
ponchos, so does Birmingham the saddlery and fittings, 
especially those in use in the neighborhood of towns. 

After inspecting the ponchos, we breakfasted with 
some friends, and about noon started in the train for 
Campana. The line passes at first through the streets of 
Buenos Ayres, and thence into the open country, beau- 
tifully green, and undulating like the waves of the sea. 
Near the town and the suburb of Belgrano are a great 
many peach-tree plantations, the fruit of which is used 
for fattening pigs, while the wood serves for roasting them. 
' There is also some scrubby brushwood, and a few large 
native trees; but these are soon left behind, and are suc- 
ceeded by far-spreading rich pasture land, and occasional 
lagunes. 

We saw for the first time the holes of. the bizcachas, 
or prairie-dogs, outside which the little prairie-owls keep 
guard. There appeared to be always one, and generally 
two, of these birds, standing, like sentinels, at the en- 
trance to each hole, with their wise-looking heads on one 
side, pictures of prudence and watchfulness. The bird 
and the beast are great friends, and are seldom to be 
found apart. We also passed several enormous flocks of 
sheep and herds of cattle, most of them quite unattended, 
though some were being driven by men on horseback. 
There were quantities of plovers, and a great many par- 
tridges, of two kinds, large and small, and the numerous 
lagunes were covered with and surrounded by water- 
fowl of all kinds — wild swans and ducks, snipe, white 
storks, gray herons, black cormorants, and scarlet flamin- 
goes, the last-named standing at the edge of the water, 
catching fish, and occasionally diving below the surface. 
On the very top of some of the telegraph-posts were the 
nests of the oven-bird, looking like carved round blocks 
of wood, placed there for ornament. These nests are 
made of mud, and are perfectly spherical in form, the 
interior being divided into two quite distinct chambers. 



72 



RUINOUS COMPETITION. 



Campana was reached by four o'clock, the train run- 
ning straight on to the pier, alongside of which the two ves- 
sels were lying with steam up. Passengers, baggage, and 
freight were immediately transferred from the train to the 
boats ; and we soon found ourselves steaming along in the 
' Uruguay,' between the willow-hung banks of the broad 
Parana. The country, though otherwise flat and uninter- 
esting, looks very pretty just now, in its new spring coat 
of bright green. 

We passed several small towns, amongst others San 
Pedro and San Nicolas, which are quite important-look- 
ing places, with a good deal of shipping, and occasionally 
stopped to pick up passengers, who had come in boats 
and steam-launches from far-distant villages, situated on 
lagunes, which our steamer could hot enter. 

Just before arriving at each stopping-place, we had a 
race with the ' Proveedor,' and whenever she became vis- 
ible at a bend in the river, half a ton more coal was imme- 
diately heaped on to our fires by the captain's order — a 
piece of reckless extravagance, for, do what they would, 
they could not make us gain five minutes. The competi- 
tion is, however, very fierce, and I suppose the two com- 
panies will not be satisfied until they have ruined one an- 
other ; whereas, if each would run a steamer on alternate 
days, they and the public would be equally benefited. 
The fares are exceedingly reasonable, being less than £$ 
for the whole journey from Buenos Ayres to Rosario, in- 
cluding all charges. 

Friday, September \$tk. — A violent storm of thunder 
and lightning, apparently just above our heads, woke us 
at six o'clock this morning. Torrents of rain followed, 
and continued to fall until we dropped our anchor at Ro- 
sario, at 8.45 a.m., just as we were in the middle of break- 
fast, in our cozy little stern cabin. Half an hour later we 
landed, though the rain still came down in sheets ; but the 
steamer was now alongside the pier, and close carriages 
had been provided. A few minutes' drive through ill- 



CENTRAL ARGENTINE RAILWAY. 



73 



paved streets brought us to the Hotel Universel, a hand- 
some, spacious building, with marble courtyards, full of 
trees, plants, and flowers, into which all the sitting-rooms 
open. Above are galleries, round which the various bed- 
rooms are in like manner ranged. It all looked nice and 
cool, and suitable for hot weather, but it was certainly 
rather draughty and cheerless on such a cold, pouring wet 
day, and all our efforts to make our large room, in which 
there were four immense windows, at all comfortable, were 
in vain. 

Rosaria, like Buenos Ayres, is built in squares. The 
streets are generally well paved with black and white 
marble, but the roadways are composed of little round 
stones, and are full of holes and inequalities, so that, in 
crossing the road after heavy rain, one steps from the trot- 
toir into a very slough of despond. The universal tram- 
way runs down the center of every street. 

After luncheon we made a fresh start for Carcarana by 
a special train, to which were attached two goods-vans, 
full of horses, and a carriage truck, containing a most 
comfortable American carriage, in shape not unlike a Vic- 
toria, only much lighter and with very high wheels. Af- 
ter a short journey through a rich, fiat, grass country, we 
arrived at Roldan, the first colony of the Central Argen- 
tine Land Company. Here we all alighted, the horses 
were taken out of the vans, saddled, bridled, and har- 
nessed, and the gentlemen rode and I drove round the 
colony, along what are generally roads, but to-day were 
sheets of water. We saw many colonists, of every grade, 
from those still occupying the one-roomed wooden cot- 
tages, originally supplied by the Land Company, standing 
in the midst of ill-cultivated fields, to those who had built 
for themselves good houses in the town, or nice cottages, 
with pretty gardens, surrounded by well-tilled lands. 

The drive ended at the mill belonging to a retired of- 
ficer of the British army, who has settled here with his 
wife and two dear little children. Here we had tea and 



74 



THE 'RICHMOND' OF ROSARIO. 



a pleasant chat, and then returned to the train and pro- 
ceeded to Carcarafia, the next station on the line. Now, 
however, instead of the rich pasture lands and flourishing 
crops which we had hitherto seen on all sides, our road 
lay through a desolate-looking district, bearing too evident 
signs of the destructive power of the locust. People trav- 
eling with us tell us that less than a week ago, the pasture 
here was as fresh and green as could be desired and the va- 
rious crops were a foot high ; but that, in the short space of 
a few hours, the care and industry of the last ten months 
were rendered utterly vain and useless, and the poor colo- 
nists found their verdant fields converted into a barren 
waste by these rapacious insects. 

Carcarafia may be called the Richmond — one might 
almost say the Brighton — of Rosario. It stands on a river, 
the Carcaraflal, to the banks of which an omnibus runs 
twice a day from the railway station, during the season, to 
take people to bathe. Near the station is also an excel- 
lent little fiotel, containing a large dining-room and a few 
bed-rooms, kept by two Frenchwomen ; and here the 
Rosarions come out by train to dine and enjoy the fresh 
air. It was quite dark by the time we arrived, so that we 
could not see much of the flourishing little colony which 
has been formed here. We therefore paddled across the 
wet road to the inn, where, despite the somewhat rough 
surroundings, we enjoyed a capital dinner, cooked in the 
true French style. They are specially celebrated here for 
their asparagus, but the locusts had devoured all but a very 
few stalks, besides which they were held responsible, on 
the present occasion, for the absence of other vegetables 
and salad. Yesterday there was a grand wedding party 
near here, the complete success of which was, we were 
told, somewhat marred by the fact that for six hours, in 
the very middle of the day, it became absolutely necessary 
to light candles, owing to the dense clouds of locusts, 
about a league in extent, by which the air was darkened. 
Trains are even stopped by these insects occasionally; 



LOCUSTS. 75 

for they appear to like a hard road, and when they get 
on the line their bodies make the rails so greasy that the 
wheels of the engines will not bite. Moreover, they com- 
pletely obscure the lights and signals, so that the men are 
afraid to proceed. The only remedy, therefore, is to go 
very slowly, preceded by a truck-load of sand, which is 
scattered freely over the rails in front of the engine. 
Horses will not always face a cloud of locusts, even to get 
to their stables, but turn round and stand doggedly still, 
until it has passed. 

After dinner we once more stepped into our special 
train, in which we arrived at Rosario at about half-past 
nine o'clock, thoroughly tired out. 



CHAPTER VI. 

LIFE ON THE PAMPAS. 

There s tempest in yon horned moon, 
And lightning in yon cloud j 
But hark the music, mariners ! 
The wind is piping loud. 

Saturday, September \6tk. — Waking at half-past five, 
we busied ourselves until nine o'clock, when we again 
started in a special train for Carcarafia. After a short stop 
at Roldan, it was reached two hours later, and breakfast 
was followed by a long ride through the Land Company's 
colony, and from thence to Candelaria, a purely Spanish 
settlement. 

I freely confess that I had hardly beHeved all the stories 
they told me last night about the terrible doings of the 
locusts, and thought they must have been slightly exag- 
gerated. It all seemed too dreadful to be true — as if one 
of the plagues of Egypt had been revived by the wand of 
an evil magician. In this somewhat incredulous mood I 
rashly said that, although I was very sorry to hear of the 
visit of these destructive creatures, as they were unfortu- 
nately here, I should like to see them. My wish was 
shortly to be gratified ; for, in the course of our ride, we 
saw in the distant sky what looked very much like a heavy 
purple thunder-cloud, but which the experienced pro- 
nounced to be a swarm of locusts. It seemed impossible ; 
but as we proceeded they met us, first singly, and then in 
gradually increasing numbers, until each step became 
positively painful, owing to the smart blows we received 
from them on our heads, faces, and hands. We stopped 

76 



A PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS. 



77 



for a time at Mr. Holt's large estancia, where, notwith- 
standing the general appearance of prosperity, the traces 
of the ravages of the locusts were only too visible. On 
remounting, to proceed on our journey, we found that the 
cloud had approached much nearer, the effect produced 
by its varying position being most extraordinary. As the 
locusts passed between us and the sun they completely 
obscured the light ; a little later, with the sun's rays shining 
directly on their wings, they looked like a golden cloud, 
such as one sometimes sees in the transformation scene 
of a pantomime ; and, at a greater distance, when viewed 
from the top of a slight eminence, they looked like a snow- 
storm, or a field of snow-white marguerites, which had sud- 
denly taken to themselves wings. When on the ground, 
with their wings closed, they formed a close mass of little 
brown specks, completely hiding the ground and crops, 
both grass and grain. In riding over them, though not a 
quarter of their number could rise, for want of space in 
which to spread their wings, they formed such a dense 
cloud that we could see nothing else, and the horses 
strongly objected to face them. They got into one's hair 
and clothes, and gave one the creeps all over. I am sure I 
shall often dream of them for some time to come, and I 
have quite made my mind that I never wish to see another 
locust as long as I live. I have, however, secured some 
fine specimens for any one who is curious about them. 

The land we passed through appeared to be well 
farmed. We spoke to several of the colonists, especially 
to one Italian family, living in a little mud rancho with a 
tile roof. They were all gathered together to witness the 
dying agonies of one of their best cows, perishing from 
the effects of the drought. The rest of the animals in the 
corral looked, I am sorry to say, thin and miserable, and 
as if they intended soon to follow their companion's ex- 
ample. The poor people, nevertheless, seemed very cheery 
and contented, and hospitably gave us each a drink of some 
remarkably muddy water. 



78 A GARDEN ON THE PAMPAS. 

After a thirty-mile ride under a hot sun, fortunately on 
the easiest of horses, we were none of us sorry to stop for 
a short time at Carcarafia, and obtain some refreshment, 
before proceeding — horses, carriage, and all — by train to 
Rosario, another colony on the line. Arrived at the lat- 
ter place, I thought I had had enough riding for the first 
day, and therefore visited the various farms and houses 
in the carriage, the rest of the party going, as before, on 
horseback. After a round of about fifteen miles, we re- 
turned to the station, where we were kindly received by 
the sister of the station-master. An excellent dinner was 
provided for us in the refreshment-room, before we en- 
tered our special train, and Rosario was reached at about 
ten o'clock. 

Sunday, September \jth. — A kind friend sent his car- 
riage to take us to the English church, a brick building, 
built to replace the 9*nall iron church that existed here 
previously, and only opened last month. The service was 
well performed, and the singing of the choir excellent. 
We paid a visit to the Sunday-schools after luncheon, 
and thdfcdrove to the quinta of Baron Alvear. The road 
lies through the town, past the race-course, crowded with 
Guachos, getting up scratch races amongst themselves, 
and on, over undulating plains and water-courses, into the 
open country. Sometimes there was a track, sometimes 
none. In some places the pastures were luxuriantly 
green ; in others the ground was carpeted with white, 
lilac, and scarlet verbena, just coming into bloom — for it 
is still early spring here. Here and there came a bare 
patch, completely cleared by the locusts, who had also 
stripped many of the fine' timber trees in the garden of 
the quinta. On the gate-posts, at the entrance, were the 
nests of two oven-birds, like those we had already seen 
on the telegraph-posts, so exactly spherical as to look like 
ornaments. In one of the shrubberies a fine jaguar was 
shut up in a cage, who looked very like a tiger. Though 
he had evidently just had his dinner, he was watching 



HOW SEEDS ARE SPREAD. 



79 



with greedy interest the proceedings of some natives in 
charge of a horse — an animal which he esteems a great 
delicacy, when procurable. 

On our way across the camp we saw a great quantity 
of the seeds of the Martynia proboscidea, mouse-burrs 
as they call them — devil's claws or toe-nails: they are 
curious-looking things. 

Frank Buckland has a theory — and very likely a cor- 
rect one — that they are created in this peculiar form for 
the express purpose of attaching themselves to the long 
tails of the wild horses that roam about the country in 
troops of hundreds. They carry them thousands of miles, 
and disseminate the seed wherever they go at large in 
search of food and water. 

When we returned to Rosario we noticed a great 
crowd still on the race-course, and were just in time to 
see the finish of one race, ridden l&rebacked, and for a 
very short distance. All the races are short ; and as the 
natives are always engaging in these little contests of 
speed, the horses get into the habit of extending them- 
selves directly you put them out of a walk. But 4^ least 
touch is sufficient to stop them immediately, and I never 
saw horses better broken than they are here. The most 
fearful bits are used for the purpose ; but when once this 
is accomplished, the mere inclination of the body, or the 
slightest pressure of the ringer upon the bridle, is suffi- 
cient to guide them. They will maintain, for almost any 
length of time, a quick canter — what they call here ' a 
little gallop ' — at the rate of three leagues (ten miles) an 
hour, without showing the slightest sign of fatigue. They 
don't like being mounted, and always fidget a little then, 
but are quite quiet directly you are in the saddle. I rode 
several horses which had never carried a lady before ; but 
after the first few minutes they did not seem to mind the 
riding-habit in the least. They evidently dislike stand- 
ing still, unless you dismount and throw the rein on the 
ground, when they will remain stationary for hours. 



So A PLUCKY WOMAN. 

Monday, September i%th. — The early part of this morn- 
ing was spent in much the same way as on Saturday, Tom 
going as before to the Land Company's Office, whilst I 
remained at home to write. 

At nine o'clock we proceeded to the station, and start- 
ed in our comfortable railway carriage for Tortugas. We 
formed quite a large party altogether, and the journey 
over the now familiar line, past Roldan, Carcaraila, and 
Canada de Gomez, was a very pleasant one. At Tortugas 
we left the train, and paid a visit to one of the overseers 
of the colony and his cheery little French wife, who, we 
found, had been expecting us all day on Saturday. A 
few weeks ago this lady's sister was carried off by Indians, 
with some other women and children. After riding many 
leagues, she seized her opportunity, pushed the Indian 
who was carrying her off his horse, turned the animal's 
head round, and galloped back across the plain, hotly 
pursued, until within a mile or two of the colony, by the 
rest of the band. It was a plucky thing for a little bit of 
a woman to attempt with a great powerful savage, and 
she is deservedly looked upon in the village as quite a 
heroine. 

The journey between Rosario and Cordova occupies 
twelve hours by the ordinary train ; and as Frayle Muerto 
is exactly half-way between the two places, the trains 
going in- either direction commence their journey at the 
same hours (6 a.m. and 6 p.m.), by which means the pas- 
sengers meet each other here in time to breakfast and 
dine together. There is a fine bridge over the river near 
Frayle Muerto, but the place is principally celebrated as 
having been the site of the Henleyite colony, which 
caused disappointment to so many young men of family, 
who were induced to come out here from England and to 
go up country, with no other result than the loss of all 
their money. The scheme was supposed to be perfect in 
all its details, but proved upon a closer acquaintance to 
be utterly worthless. The iron church at Rosario is still 



TREMENDOUS THUNDERSTORM. 8 1 

standing, which the members of the expedition took up 
there, and we have also met some of the young men them- 
selves at various times. 

The train did not reach Cordova until 7.30 p.m., and it 
was therefore too late for us to see much of the approach 
to the city, but to-morrow we intend to do a .good deal 
in that way. In the middle of the night we were aroused 
by a violent thunderstorm. The lightning was most vivid, 
and illuminated our room with many colors. The rain 
fell heavily, flooding everything, and making the streets 
look like rivers, and the courtyard of the hotel like a lake. 
It is one of the oldest, and, at the same time, one of the 
most unhealthy, of the cities of South America, for it is 
built in the hollow of the surrounding hills, where no re- 
freshing breezes can penetrate. 

Traveling in Brazil is like passing through a vast hot- 
house, filled with gorgeous tropical vegetation and forms 
of insect life. In the neighborhood of Monte Video you 
might imagine yourself in a perpetual greenhouse. Here 
it is like being in a vast garden, in which the greenest of 
turf, the brightest of bedding-out plants, and the most 
fragrant flowering shrubs abound. Each country, there- 
fore, possesses its own particular beauty, equally attrac- 
tive in its way. 

Shortly after leaving Cordova we passed through an 
Indian village ; but, except at this point, we did not meet 
many natives during our ride. One poor woman, how- 
ever, whom we did unfortunately encounter, had a fall 
from her horse, owing to the animal being frightened at 
the umbrella I carried, yet my own horse had, after a very 
brief objection, quietly submitted to the introduction of 
this novelty into the equipment of his rider. 

We found that the hotel on the Caldera for which we 
were bound was shut up ; but one of the party had the 
keys, and an excellent lunch quickly made its appearance. 
The view from the veranda, over the river, to the Sierras 
beyond, was very fine. It had become quite hot by this 
6 



82 STELLAR PHOTOGRAPHS. 

time, and I was much interested in seeing all our horses 
taken down to the water to bathe. They appeared to be 
perfectly familiar with the process ; and, the river being 
shallow, they picked out all the nice holes between the 
bowlders, where they could lie down and be completely 
covered by the water. Just as we were starting to return, 
black clouds gathered from all around; the lightning 
flashed, the thunder muttered, and big drops began to fall. 
But the storm was not of long duration, and we escaped 
the worst part of it, though we had ample evidence of its 
severity during our homeward ride, in the slippery ground, 
the washed-away paths, and the swollen ditches. We 
stopped half-way to see the drowning out of some poor 
little bizcachas from their holes. The water had been 
turned into their dwellings by means of trenches, and as 
the occupants endeavored to make their escape at the 
other end they were pounced upon by men and dogs ; the 
prairie-owls meanwhile hovering disconsolately overhead. 
Two of the gentlemen of our party each managed to pur- 
chase a living bizcacha, which was then wrapped up in a 
handkerchief and conveyed home. When young they are 
pretty little creatures, and are easily tamed. 

It was late when we reached Cordova; but I was 
anxious to visit the Observatory before our departure, as 
it is one of the best, though not by any means the largest, 
in the world. Professor Gould, the astronomer, is away 
just at present, but we were kindly received by Mrs. 
Gould, who conducted us over the building. They have a 
fine collection of various instruments and some wonderful 
photographs of the principal stars — Saturn, with his ring 
and eight moons, Jupiter, with his four moons, Venus, 
Mercury, etc. If we could have staid longer we might 
have seen much more ; but it was now quite dark, and we 
had only just time for a short visit to the observing-room 
itself. Our ride down to the city in the dark would have 
been exceedingly risky if our horses had been less sure- 
footed, for the roads had been washed away in many 



CHILIAN BITS. 



83 



places, but we reached the bottom of the Observatory hill 
in safety, and shortly afterwards arrived at the hotel just 
in time for dinner. 

After dinner we drove to the station, where we found 
all our own party assembled, and many more people, who 
had come to see us off. I was given the Chilian bit used 
.for the horse I rode to-day, as a remembrance of my visit. 
It is a most formidable-looking instrument of torture, and 
one which I am sure my dear little steed did not in the 
least require ; but I suppose the fact of having once felt 
it, when being broken in, is sufficient for a lifetime, for 
the horses here have certainly the very lightest mouths I 
ever met with. A gift of a young puma, or small lion, 
was also waiting for me. It is about four months old, 
and very tame ; but, considering the children, I think it 
will be more prudent to pass it on to the Zoo, in London. 
The train started at 8.30 p.m. and took an hour to 
reach Rio Segundo, where we found tea and coffee pre- 
pared. After that we proceeded to make our arrange- 
ments for the night ; some of the gentlemen sleeping in 
the saloon-carriages, and some on beds made up in the 
luggage-van. Tom and I turned into our tAvo cozy little 
berths, and knew nothing more until we were called at 
4.30 a.m., at Canada de Gomez. The lamp had gone 
out, and we found it rather difficult work dressing and 
packing in the cold and dark ; but it was soon done, and 
a cup of hot coffee in the refreshment-room afterwards 
made us feel quite comfortable. 

Then we all separated : Captain Dunlop to join his 
ship ; Tom to complete his report on the colonies of 
the Central Argentine Land Company, which he is pre- 
paring in compliance with the request of the Directors 
in London ; while the rest of the party awaited the ar- 
rival of the wagonette which was to take us to the estan- 
cia of Las Rosas. 

Wednesday, September 20th. — At 6.30 p. m. the wag- 
onette arrived, a light but strong, unpainted vehicle, 



84 PRAIRIES AND CANADAS. 

drawn by a pair of active little well-bred horses, both of 
whom had been raced in their day. There were but a 
few leagues of cultivated ground to be passed before we 
reached the broad, undulating, solitary Pampas, where 
for some time the only visible signs of life were to be 
found in the Teru-tero birds (a sort of plover), who 
shrieked discordantly as we disturbed their repose;, the 
partridges, large and small, put up by the retriever who 
accompanied us ; some prairie fowls ; a great many 
hawks, of all sizes ; and the pretty little wydah-birds, with 
their two immense tail feathers, four times the length of 
their bodies. The first glimpse of the far-spreading prai- 
rie was most striking in all its variations of color. The 
true shade of the Pampas grass, when long, is a light dusty 
green ; when short it is a bright fresh green. But it fre- 
quently happens that, owing to the numerous prairie-fires, 
either accidental or intentional, nothing is to be seen but 
a vast expanse of black charred ground, here and there 
relieved by a few patches of vivid green, where the grass 
is once more springing up under the influence of the rain. 
The road, or rather track, was in a bad condition, 
owing to the recent wet weather, and on each side of the 
five cafiadas, or small rivers, which we had to ford, there 
were deep morasses, through which we had to struggle as 
best we could, with the mud up to Our axletrees. Just 
before arriving at the point where the stream had to 
be crossed, the horses were well flogged and urged on 
at a gallop, which they gallantly maintained until the 
other side was reached. Then we stopped to breathe the 
horses and to repair damages, generally finding that a trace 
had given way, or that some other part of the harness had 
shown signs of weakness. On one occasion we were de- 
layed for a considerable time by the breaking of the splin- 
ter-bar, to repair which was a troublesome matter ; indeed, 
I don't know how we should have managed it if we had 
not met a native lad, who sold us his long lasso to bind the 
pieces together again. It was a lucky rencontre for us, as 



STARVING CATTLE. 85 

he was the only human being we saw during the whole of 
our drive of thirty miles, except the peon who brought us 
a change of horses, half-way. 

In the course of the journey we passed a large estan- 
cia, the road to which was marked by the dead bodies and 
skeletons of the poor beasts who had perished in the late 
.droughts. Hundreds of them were lying about in every 
stage of decay, those more recently dead being surrounded 
by vultures and other carrion-birds. The next Canada 
that we crossed was choked up with the carcasses of the 
unfortunate creatures who had struggled thus far for a last 
drink, and had then not had sufficient strength left to ex- 
tricate themselves from the water. Herds of miserable- 
looking, half-starved cattle were also to be seen, the cows 
very little larger than their calves, and all apparently 
covered with the same rough shaggy coats. The pasture 
is not fine enough in this part of the country to carry 
sheep, but deer are frequently met with. 

A little later we again began to approach cultivated 
land, and a mile or two further brought us to a broad 
road, with high palings on either side, down which we 
drove, and through the yard, to the door of the estancia. 
The house is a one-story building, one room wide, with a 
veranda in front and at the back, one side of which faces 
the yard, the other a well-kept garden, full of violets and 
other spring flowers, and roses just coming into bloom. 
There are several smaller detached buildings, in which the 
sleeping apartments are situated, and which are also pro- 
vided with verandas and barred windows. Having visi- 
ted the various rooms, in company with our hosts, we sat 
down to a rough but substantial breakfast, to which full 
justice was done. Traveling all night, and a ride of thirty 
miles in the fresh morning air, have a tendency to produce 
a keen appetite ; and the present occasion proved no 
exception to that rule. 

After breakfast I rested and wrote some letters, while 
the gentlemen inspected the farm and stud. The pro- 



86 BEGGARS OX HORSEBACK. 

prietor of this estancia has the best horses in this part of 
the country, and has taken great pains to improve their 
breed, as well as that of the cattle and sheep, by import- 
ing thorough - breds from England. Unlike the Arabs, 
neither natives nor settlers here think of riding mares, 
and it is considered quite a disgrace to do so. They are 
therefore either allowed to run wild in troops, or are used 
to trample out corn or to make mud for bricks. They are 
also frequently killed and boiled down, for the sake of 
their hides and tallow, the value of which does not amount 
to more than about \os. per head. Large herds of them 
are met. with at this time of the year on the Pampas, at- 
tended by a few horses, and accompanied by their foals. 

The natives of these parts pass their lives in the sad- 
dle. Horses are used for almost every conceivable em- 
ployment, from hunting and fishing to brick-making and 
butter-churning. Even the very beggars ride about on 
horseback. I have seen a photograph of one, with a po- 
lice certificate of mendicancy hanging round his neck, 
taken from life for Sir Woodbine Parish. Every domestic 
servant has his or her own horse, as a matter of course ; 
and the maids are all provided with habits, in which they 
ride about on Sundays, from one estancia to another, to 
pay visits. In fishing, the horse is ridden into the water 
as far as he can go, and the net or rod is then made use of 
by his rider. At Buenos Ayres I have seen the poor ani- 
mals all but swimming to the shore, with heavy carts and 
loads, from the ships anchored in the inner roads ; for 
the water is so shallow that only very small boats can go 
alongside the vessels, and. the cargo is therefore trans- 
ferred directly to the carts to save the trouble and expense 
of transhipment. In out-of-the-way places, on the Pam- 
pas, where no churns exist, butter is made by putting 
milk into a goat-skin bag, attached by a long lasso to the 
saddle of a peon, who is then set to gallop a certain num- 
ber of miles, with the bag bumping and jumping along the 
ground after him. 



A MOTLEY PACK. §y 

About four o'clock the horses — much larger and better- 
bred animals than those we have been riding lately — were 
brought round from the corral. Mine was a beauty, easy, 
gentle, and fast. We first took a canter round the culti- 
vated ground, about 300 acres in extent, and in capital 
condition. Lucern grows here splendidly, and can be 
cut seven times a year. As we left the yard, Mr. Nield's 
man asked if he would take the dogs. He replied in the 
negative ; but I suppose he must have referred to the 
greyhounds only, for we were certainly accompanied on 
the present occasion by eleven dogs of various sorts and 
sizes, those left behind being shut up and kept without 
food, in anticipation of the stag-hunt to-morrow. We 
rode over the race-course, where the horses are trained, 
and on to the partridge ground. The larger kind of these 
birds are exceedingly stupid, and are easily ridden down 
by a horseman, or caught in a noose. They rise three 
times, and after the third flight they are so exhausted and 
terrified that it is easy to dismount and catch them with 
the hand, as they lie panting on the long grass. Par- 
tridge-hunting is considered good sport. It is necessary to 
keep your eye constantly fixed upon the bird, and to 
watch where he settles, and then to gallop to the spot as 
hard as possible, leaving your horse to look after himself 
amid the long grass ; and this manoeuvre has to be re- 
peated until at last the unfortunate bird is overtaken and 
caught. 

As we were riding along, the dogs found and killed a 
bizcacha, in a bank. Just as Mr. Elliott had pulled it out, 
and had laid it, dead, in the field, its little companion owl 
arrived, and appeared to be in the most dreadful state of 
mind. It shrieked and cried, as it hovered over us, and 
finally selected a small white fox terrier, who, I think, 
really had been principally concerned in the death, as the 
object of its vengeance, pouncing down upon his head, 
and giving him two or three good pecks, at the same 
time flapping its wings violently. The other dogs drove 



88 A FAITHFUL FRIEND. 

it off ; but more than half an hour afterwards, while we 
were looking at some horses, nearly a mile from the spot, 
the plucky little owl returned to the charge, and again 
swooped down upon the same dog, with a dismal cry, and 
administered a vigorous peck to him. Altogether it was 
a striking and interesting proof of the attachment exist- 
ing between these curious birds and beasts ; the object of 
the owl in the present instance clearly being to revenge 
if possible the death of its friend. 

On our return to the farm, we went all around the 
place, and found that everything was being made secure 
for the night ; after which we watched all the servants 
come in one by one for their daily ration of grog, and 
then retired to dress for dinner, shortly after which, being 
thoroughly tired out, I retired to my bed-room, attended 
by a very kind old Irishwoman, who had been deputed to 
look after me. My mind was at first somewhat disturbed 
by the discovery of one or two enormous toads and long- 
armed spiders in my apartment ; but they fortunately did 
not interfere with my repose, for I slept like a top. All 
the rooms being on the ground-floor, it is almost impossi- 
ble entirely to exclude intruders of this description. I 
admired very much what I took to be two fine ponchos, 
of a delicate fawn-color, used as tablecloths, but upon a 
closer examination I found that they were made of the 
finest silk, and learned afterwards that they were imported 
from England. I don't know why the same material 
should not be employed for a similar purpose at home; 
but I believe that those manufactured hitherto have been 
designed expressly for the South American market, to 
which they are exported in considerable quantities. 

Thursday, September 21st. — At five o'clock, when I 
awoke, it was so misty that I could only see about half- 
way across the yard. By six, the hour at which we were 
to have started on our hunting expedition, matters had 
improved a little ; but it was still considered unsafe to 
venture out, for fear of being lost on the vast plains which 



A GLORIOUS GALLOP. 89 

surrounded us. An hour later, however, it was reported 
that the fog was clearing off, and a little before eight 
o'clock we started. Horses, riders, and dogs, all appeared 
to be in the highest spirits, the former jumping and frisk- 
ing about, hardly deigning to touch the ground, the latter 
tearing after one another and barking at every stray bird 
they met. The pack numbered seventeen, and could 
hardly be called a level lot of hounds, comprising, as it 
did, two deerhounds, five well-bred greyhounds, two re- 
trievers, one setter, one spaniel, one French poodle, two 
fox terriers, one black-and-tan terrier, and two animals of 
an utterly indescribable breed; but they all did their work 
well, as the event proved. Even the shaggy fat old French 
poodle arrived in each case before the deer was cut up. 

Two deer were soon descried in the distance, and we 
cantered steadily towards them at the rate of about ten 
miles an hour until the dogs winded and sighted them. 
Then, directly the first short yelp was heard, every horse 
extended himself in an instant, galloping away as hard as 
he could go, almost literally ventre a terre. They were 
nearly all thorough-breds, and had been raced, so that the 
speed was something delightful. But it only lasted ten 
minutes, at the end of which time the dogs ran into one 
of the deer, and thus put a temporary stop to our enjoy- 
ment. He proved to be a fine buck, and was soon killed. 
His legs were cut off for trophies, but, his horns being 
like velvet, the head was not worth having. Some of the 
dogs pursued the doe, but failed to pull her down, and 
returned half an hour later fatigued and panting. 

It had become hot by this time, so we rode to the 
nearest water, to enable the animals to drink and bathe, 
and then started afresh at a sharp canter. There were 
plenty of bizcacha holes and boggy places to be avoided ; 
but we allowed the horses to take care of themselves and 
us in this respect, and occupied ourselves almost exclu- 
sively in looking for fresh deer. For some time we found 
nothing ; then two sprang out of the long grass close to 



9° 



A GLORIOUS GALLOP. 



the Canada, which they crossed, and, on reaching the 
other side, started off in different directions. The pack 
pursued and divided, some going after each animal. I, 
and two others of the party, followed the doe, and after 
another short burst of ten minutes, at a tremendous pace, 
we ran into and killed her. As soon as she had been dis- 
patched, we wanted to follow the buck, in pursuit of which 
the rest of the riders had gone, but there was now nothing 
to be seen of him or them. Flat as the country looked, 
the slight undulations of the ground quite hid them from 
our view. After riding about for two hours in various 
directions, looking and listening most patiently, we aban- 
doned the search in despair, and returned to the house, 
where we found that our friends had already arrived. 
They had enjoyed the best run they had had for many 
months — seven miles, from point to point — but the dogs 
had lain down, dead beat, at the end of the first six miles. 
The horsemen had galloped on, their animals tailing off 
one by one, until only two remained in it at all. Having 
mutually agreed to let the stag live till another day, to 
afford perhaps as good a run and as much pleasure to 
some one else, they thereupon also abandoned the chase, 
and turned their horses' heads homewards. 

After a change of dress we proceeded to pack up, 
preparatory to our departure, and then had breakfast, 
after which we bade adieu to our kind hosts, and started 
in the wagonette to retrace our steps to the station. It 
was very bright and hot, and the sun and wind had 
already begun to have a visible effect upon the vegetation 
of the Pampas. The streams were much more passable, 
and we reached Canada de Gomez at about half-past five, 
in a shorter time than it had taken us to perform the out- 
ward journey yesterday. On reaching Rosario at about 
ten o'clock, we found several friends waiting to receive us, 
with invitations to tea ; but we felt too tired in body and 
too disreputable in appearance to accept them, and pre- 
ferred going straight to our hotel and to bed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

MORE ABOUT THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 

The twilight is sad and cloudy, 

The wind blows wild and free, 
And like the wings of sea-birds 
Flash the white caps of the sea. 

Friday, September 22d. — Mr. Fisher called for me at 
8 a.m., to drive me in his little carriage to the railway 
yard and workshops, and then to pay some farewell visits. 
We also went to see the market, and to get some photo- 
graphs of Rosario ; after which, breakfast, packing-up, 
and paying the bill occupied our time until one o'clock, 
when we started for the steamer, to return to Buenos 
Ayres. On our arrival alongside the ' Proveedor,' I found 
that nearly all our Rosario friends had come down to the 
landing-place to see us off, and had brought all manner 
of remembrances for me and the children. Flowers in 
profusion ; a tame cardinal bird for Muriel ; a pair of dear 
little long-tailed green paroquets ; the skin of a seal, shot 
at the Alexandria colony; a beautiful poncho ; an Argen- 
tine bit, whip, and stirrups ; a carpincha skin ; two pretty 
little muletas — a sort of armadillo, very tame, and often 
kept in the houses here as a pet ; and several other pres- 
ents, all of which, when I look at them at home, will serve 
to remind me of the kind donors, and of the happy days 
spent in the Argentine Republic. 

It was not long before we were off, and steaming 
slowly astern of the ' Uruguay.' This boat is not so 
large nor so fast as the ' Uruguay,' though the difference 
in speed does not probably amount to more than fifteen 

9 1 



9 2 



THE RIVAL BOATS. 



minutes in the twenty-four hours. Her saloon and deck 
are not so good, but her sleeping cabins are much larger 
and more comfortable. The Italian captains are equally 
agreeable on both steamers, the civility is the same, and 
the fares and food are precisely similar, so that there is 
not much left to influence one in the choice of vessels. 
We had a pleasant party at an excellent dinner in the 
evening, the captain only regretting that we had not been 
on board two days ago, when Mile. P. and the opera com- 
pany went down from Rosario to Buenos Ayres. They 
had a very cheery evening, and some good music, which 
Tom told us afterwards he thoroughly enjoyed. There 
were no musicians on board to-night, and not any temp- 
tation to sit up late, which was perhaps as well ; one of 
the reasons for our going back this way being that we 
wished to have an opportunity of seeing the River Tigre, 
which we should reach in the early morning. On the up- 
ward journey we had, to save time, embarked at Campana, 
which is situated above that river. 

Saturday, September 2$d. — At 4.30 a.m. the captain 
called me, being anxious that I should not miss any of 
the beauties of the Tigre. On my arrival on deck he 
kindly had a chair placed for me right in the bows, pro- 
vided me with rugs and wraps, and sent for some hot 
coffee, which was particularly acceptable, as the morning 
air was fresh and chilly. The sky was flushed with rosy 
clouds, the forerunners of one of the most beautiful sun- 
rises imaginable. The river itself is narrow and monot- 
onous, the branches of the willow-trees on either bank 
almost sweeping the sides of the steamer. The center 
channel is fairly deep ; but we managed to run aground 
once, though we only drew nine feet, and in turning a 
sharp corner it was necessary to send a boat ashore with 
a rope, to pull the vessel's head round. 

At half-past six we reached the port of Tigre, where 
we found many fine ships waiting for the tide, to go up 
the river. Some delay occurred while the passengers' 



MODERATE PRICES. 



93 



luggage was being examined ; but in about half an hour 
we were able to land and walk to the railway-station, 
through an avenue of shady trees, round the trunks of 
which the wisteria, now in full bloom, was climbing, and 
past several houses, whose pretty gardens were ablaze 
with all sorts of flowers. At the station I found a letter 
from Tom, telling me we were expected to breakfast at a 
quinta, not far from Buenos Ayres. 

For about an hour and a half the line ran through a 
rich and fertile country, quite the garden of Buenos Ayres, 
until we arrived at the station where we were to alight. 
Here Mr. Coghlan met us and drove us to his house, 
which is charmingly situated in the midst of a grove of 
olive-trees, formerly surrounding the palace of the viceroys. 
After breakfast the gardener cut us a fine bouquet of roses 
and violets, and we walked to the tramway, and were con- 
veyed by one of the cars, smoothly and quickly, to the 
city. The contrast between this mode of traveling and 
riding in an ordinary carriage through the ill-paved streets 
is very striking. It is really less fatiguing to walk than to 
adopt the latter mode of conveyance, and I believe that, 
but for the look of the thing, most people would prefer to 
do so. How the vehicles themselves stand the jolting I 
cannot imagine, for they are all large and handsome, and 
must suffer tremendous strains. 

At noon we went with Mr. Coghlan to see the market 
and the museum, and to do some shopping. The market 
is a large open building, well supplied with everything at 
moderate prices ; meat, game, fruit, vegetables, and flowers 
being especially cheap and good. House-rent and fine 
clothes — what Muriel would call 'dandy things ' — are very 
dear in Buenos Ayres, but all the necessaries of life are 
certainly cheap. People of the middle and lower classes 
live much better here than they do at home, and the de- 
velopment of bone and muscle in large families of small 
children, owing to the constant use of so much meat and 
strong soup, is very remarkable. When once they have 



9 4 ELABORATE BOUQUETS. 

attained the age at which they can run about, children get 
on very well ; but the climate, and the difficulty of ob- 
taining a proper supply of milk in hot weather, often 
prove fatal to infants. It is very difficult to get good 
servants here, as they can easily obtain much higher pay 
in other capacities, and are very soon enabled to set up in 
business for themselves. Returning to the hotel, we col- 
lected our parcels and had some luncheon, and then pro- 
ceeded to the pier, where we found the children waiting 
for us to embark in the gig, and we soon arrived safely on 
board the ' Sunbeam.' 

At about half -past six, Tom and Mabelle returned 
from their expedition to the largest and most comfortable 
estancia in the country, where they were received most 
hospitably, and enjoyed themselves very much. 

After dinner, some of our party left in the whale- 
boat, being anxious to be present at Madame Almazilia's 
benefit performance at the opera, for which I fear they 
arrived too late, after all. Whilst we were waiting at the 
railway-station to-day, some of the bouquets, which were 
to be presented at the theater to-night, arrived by train. 
The flowers were arranged in all manner of strange shapes 
and devices — full-sized tables and chairs, music-stands, 
and musical instruments, and many other quaint conceits, 
composed entirely of gray Neapolitan violets, marked out 
with camellias and other colored flowers. 

Sunday, September 2^th. — Most of us went ashore in the 
whale-boat at ten o'clock, to attend the English church, 
re-opened to-day for the first time for some months. After 
our own service we met many friends, and walked to the 
Roman Catholic cathedral. The streets were full of well- 
appointed carriages, and in the interior of the building 
we found a great many well-dressed ladies, and a few men. 
Mass had not commenced, and a constant stream of wor- 
shipers was still entering ; but we remained only for a 
short time, and then returned to the Mole. By this time the 
wind had freshened considerably, and several of our friends 



DANGERS OF LANDING. 95 

tried to persuade us to remain on shore ; but as we knew 
Tom was expecting us, and we wanted to get the things 
we required for our next journey, we thought it better to 
go off. 

It took us two hours and a half, beating against the 
wind, to reach the yacht, sea-sick, and drenched to the 
skin. Directly we got outside the bar the sea was very 
bad, and each wave broke more or less over the little half- 
deck, under which the children had been packed away for 
shelter. Seeing how rough it was out at the anchorage — 
far worse than near the shore — Tom had quite given us 
up, for it was now half-past three, and was preparing to 
come ashore, bringing our things with him. On board the 
yacht we found an unfortunate French maid, and another 
servant, who had come off early in the morning to spend 
the day and have dinner with our people, but who were 
now lying prostrate and ill in the cabin. 

Champagne and luncheon revived us a little,' and Tom 
hurried us off to get ashore again by daylight, before the 
weather became worse. It was a very pleasant twenty 
minutes' sail to the shore, racing along before the wind, 
with two reefs in the mainsail — quite a different thing 
from beating out. The fide was high, and the captain 
therefore steered for the pier, where he hoped to land us. 
Unfortunately, however, he missed it ; and as it was im- 
possible to make another tack out, all that could be done 
was to let go the anchor to save running ashore, and wait 
until they sent out a small boat to fetch us. This took 
some little time, during which we pitched and tossed about 
in a very disagreeable fashion. When the boat did at last 
arrive. she turned out to be a wretched little skiff, rowed 
by two men, with very indifferent oars, and only capable 
of taking three passengers at a time. Tom went first, 
taking with him the two children, and the two poor sea- 
sick maids, and the boat at once put off for the land, Tom 
steering. It was terrible to watch them from the whale- 
boat, and when one tremendous sea came, and the skiff 



96 



A NARROW ESCAPE. 



broached-to, I thought for a moment that all was over, as 
did every one who was watching our proceedings from the 
pier. I could not look any more, till I heard shouts that 
they were safe ashore. Then came our turn. The boat 
returned for us, this time provided with better oars, and 
we were soon landed in safety, if not in comfort ; and a 
third and last trip brought ashore the rest of the party 
and the luggage, Tom remaining at the tiller. 

Mr. Coghlan had come down to meet us, but, seeing 
the peril of the first boat, had gone away until he heard 
we were all landed, and now returned to congratulate us 
on our narrow escape and present safety. After we had 
rested for a short time in the waiting-room, to recover 
from our fright and shake our dripping garments, we 
went to the Hotel de la Paix, where we dined, and at ten 
o'clock we walked down to the railway-station, where a 
large number of people had already assembled, some of 
whom were to accompany us to Azul, while, others had 
only come to see us off. 

Everything had been most comfortably arranged for 
us in the special train. The interior fittings of two second- 
class American carriages had been completely taken out, 
and a canvas lining, divided into compartments, each con? 
taining a cozy little bed, had been substituted. Wash- 
stands, looking-glasses, &c, had been provided, and a pro- 
fusion of beautiful flowers filled in every available spot. 
In a third car two tables, occupying its entire length, with 
seats on one side of each table, had been placed ; and here 
it was intended that we should breakfast, lunch, and dine. 

Monday, September 2 ^th- — We slept soundly — speaking 
for the children and myself — until we were aroused at six 
o'clock this morning by the agreeable intelligence that we 
had reached our destination. Azul is about 300 miles 
south of Buenos Ayres, on the Southern Railway. It is a 
small and primitive place in itself, but is situated in the 
midst of splendid pastures, both for rearing sheep and 
cattle, of which there are large flocks and herds. 



A RUNAWAY. 



97 



Whilst we were waiting for breakfast, we walked a little 
distance .to see a troop of mares treading mud for bricks. 
It was a curious, but rather sad sight. Inside a circular 
inclosure, some fifty yards in diameter, about fifty half- 
starved animals, up to their houghs in very sloppy mud, 
were being driven round about, and up and down, as fast 
as they could go, by a mounted peon, assisted by five or 
six men on foot, outside the inclosure, armed with long 
heavy whips, which they used constantly. Some of the 
poor creatures had foals, which were tied up a little dis- 
tance off, and which kept up a piteous whinnying, as 
an accompaniment to the lashings and crackings of the 
whips. On our way back to the station we saw a horse, 
attached to a light gig, bolt across the Pampas at full gal- 
lop, vainly pursued by a man on horseback. First one 
wheel came off and then the other ; then the body of the 
gig was left behind, and then the shafts and most of the 
harness followed suit ; until at last — as we afterwards 
heard — the runaway reached his home, about five miles 
off, with only his bridle remaining. 

At nine o'clock the breakfast-bell rang, and we found 
an excellent repast spread out for us on two long tables. 
An hour later we started in seven large carriages and pro- 
ceeded first to make the tour of the town, afterwards vis- 
iting the bank, and a fine new house in the course of con- 
struction by a native, built entirely of white marble from 
Italy. Then we paid a visit to some Indians — an old 
chief and his four wives, who have settled quietly down 
in a toldo near the town. They were not bad-looking, 
and appeared fairly comfortable as they squatted in the 
open air round the fire, above which was suspended a 
large iron pot, containing, to judge by the look and smell, 
a most savory preparation. We next went to a store, 
where we picked up a few curiosities, and then drove to 
the mill of Azul, a new establishment, of which the in- 
habitants of the town, are evidently very proud. There 
is a pretty walk by the mill-stream, overhung with wil- 
7 



g8 A GRASSERIA. 

lows, and close by is another toldo, inhabited by more 
Indians. 

Leaving the town, we now proceeded about two leagues 
across the Pampas to Mr. Frer's estancia. He is a farmer 
on a very extensive scale, and possesses about 24,000 sheep 
and 500 horses, besides goodly herds of cattle. The lo- 
custs have not visited this part of the country, and the 
pastures are consequently in fine condition after the late 
rains, while the sheep look proportionately well. We 
passed a large grasseria, or place where sheep are killed 
at the rate of seven in a minute, and are skinned, cut up, 
and boiled down for tallow in an incredibly short space of 
time, the residue of the meat being used in the furnace 
as fuel. Running about loose, outside, were four or five 
curly-horned rams, between two of which a grand combat 
took place, apparently conducted in strict accordance with 
the rules of fighting etiquette. The two animals began 
by walking round and round, eying each other carefully, 
and then retiring backwards a certain distance, which 
might have been measured out for them, they stopped so 
exactly simultaneously. Then, gazing steadfastly at one 
another for a few moments, as if to take aim, they rushed 
forward with tremendous force, dashing their foreheads 
together with a crash ■ that might have been heard a 
mile away. It seemed marvelous that they did not frac- 
ture their skulls, for they repeated the operation three or 
four times before Mr. Frer could get a man to help to stop 
the fight, when the two combatants were led off, in a 
very sulky state, to be locked up apart. 

Arrangements had been, made for us to see as much of 
station-life as possible during our short visit. The peons' 
dinner had been put back, in order that we might witness 
their peculiar method of roasting, or rather baking, their 
food, and eating it; but we were rather later than was 
expected, and the men were so hungry that we were only 
able to see the end of the performance. Mr. Frer had 
also sent a long way across the Pampas for some wild 



A CORRAL. 



99 



horses, belonging to him, in order that we might see 
them lassoed ; and Colonel Donovan had brought with 
him one of his best domidors, or horse-breakers, that we 
might have an opportunity of seeing an unbroken colt 
caught and backed for the first time. 

About a hundred horses were driven into a large corral, 
and several Guachos and peons, some on horseback and 
some on foot, exhibited their skill with the lasso, by catch- 
ing certain of the animals, either by the fore leg, the hind 
leg, or the neck, as they galloped round and round at full 
speed. The captured animal got a tremendous fall in 
each case, and if the mounted horse was not very clever 
and active, he and his rider were very likely to be thrown 
down also. There was the risk too of the man receiving 
an injury from the lasso itself, if it should happen to get 
round his body, in which case he would probably be al- 
most cut in half by the sudden jerk. 

The next proceeding was to cast a lasso at a ftotro, or 
unbroken colt, who was galloping about in the very cen- 
.ter of the troop, at full speed. His fore legs were caught 
dexterously in the noose, which brought him up, or ra- 
ther down, instantly, head over heels. Another lasso was 
then thrown over his head, and drawn quite tight round 
his neck, and a bridle, composed of two or three thongs 
of raw hide, was forced into his mouth by means of a 
slip-knot rein. A sheepskin saddle was placed on his 
back, the man who was to ride him standing over him, 
with one foot already in the stirrup. All this time the 
poor horse was lying on the ground with his legs tied 
close together, frightened almost out of his life, trembling 
in every limb, and perspiring from every pore. When 
the man was ready, the horse's legs were loosened suffi- 
ciently to allow him to rise, and he was then led outside 
the corral. The lassoes were suddenly withdrawn, and 
he dashed forwards, springing and plunging upwards, 
sideways, downwards, in every direction, in the vain 
effort to rid himself of his unaccustomed load. The man 



ioo LUXURIOUS TRAVELING. 

remained planted, like a rock, in the saddle, pulling hard 
at the bridle, while a second domidor, mounted on a tame 
horse, pursued the terrified animal, striking him with a 
cruel whip to make him go in the required direction. 
After about ten minutes of this severe exercise, the cap- 
tive returned to the corral, exhausted, and perfectly cowed, 
and showing no desire to rejoin his late companions. In 
order to complete the process of breaking him in, we were 
told that it would be necessary to keep him tied up for 
two or three days, rather short of food, and to repeat 
daily the operation of saddling, bridling, and mounting, 
the difficulty being less on each occasion, until at last he 
would become as quiet as a lamb. 

We now saw our train approaching, orders having been 
given for it to come as far as it could from the station to 
meet us. We wished good-by to Mr. Frer and his party, 
and, with many thanks to all, got into our carriages and 
drove across the plains to the railway. On our way we 
passed some large lagunes, full of wild fowl, and sur- 
rounded by scarlet flamingoes and pelicans. The ground 
we had to traverse was very boggy ; so much so that two 
of the carriages got stuck, and their occupants had to turn 
out and walk. At last we reached the train, and climbed 
into the cars, where we found an excellent luncheon pre- 
pared, which we ate whilst the train dashed along at the 
rate of forty miles an hour. About seven o'clock we 
stopped for tea and coffee, and the children were put to 
bed. By nine we had reached the junction for Buenos 
Ayres, where an engine met us, and took most of our 
party into the city, in one of the cars, while we went on to 
Punta Lara, the station for Ensenada. 

On arriving we were met by several of our men, who 
had been allowed to go ashore at Buenos Ayres on Sun- 
day morning, and had not been able to rejoin the yacht 
since. On Sunday night, when they were to have re- 
turned, it was impossible for them to get off. Even the 
whale-boat was nearly dashed to pieces, at anchor, near 



A MISSING STEWARD. 10 1 

the pier. They spent the early part of Monday morning 
in hunting everywhere with the pilot for the lost steward, 
and at last left the shore just in time to see the yacht 
steaming down the river, with only half her crew on board, 
and without a pilot. It seems they had been waited for 
from eight o'clock until eleven ; it then became neces- 
sary to get under way, for fear of losing the tide. As 
it was, the yacht had not been able to get near the pier 
at Ensenada, and was now lying in the river, two miles 
out. The station-master, having been informed of the 
state of affairs, very kindly had steam got up in the rail- 
way tug to take us off. The children, with their nurses, 
remained in bed in the car, which was shunted into a 
siding until the morning, the doctor staying on shore in 
charge. The rest of us then set out for the yacht, which 
we reached at I a.m., only to be greeted with the pleasing 
intelligence that no fresh provisions had arrived on board 
for the party of friends we were expecting. The captain 
of the tug was good enough to promise to do what he 
could for us on shore ; but everything is brought here 
from Buenos Ayres, and it is too late to telegraph for a 
supply. We cannot help fearing that something must 
have happened to our steward, for he has always been 
most steady and respectable hitherto, and I fancy Buenos 
Ayres is rather a wild place. Every inquiry is to be made, 
and I can only trust the morning may bring us some 
news. 

Tuesday, September 26th. — The morning was fine, with 
a nice breeze, but the tide was so low that we should have 
been unable to get alongside the pier until ten o'clock, 
when Tom thought we should just miss our guests. . It 
was therefore decided that it would be better to send the 
steam-tug to meet the special train, especially as, if we 
took the yacht in, it would be impossible to get out again 
in the middle of the night, when we had arranged to 
sail. 

The steam-tug came off early, bringing two sheep, half 



102 SHORT OF PROVISIONS. 

a bullock, and some wild ducks, much to the relief of the 
cook's mind ; but there were no vegetables to be had on 
shore, and of course it was too late to send to Buenos 
Ayres for any. We had to do the best we could without 
them, therefore, and I really do not think any one knew of 
the dilemma we had been in, until they were told, at the 
end of the day. The servants all turned to and worked 
with a will ; but it was rather a different matter from hav- 
ing a large luncheon party on board in the Thames, with 
our London servants and supplies to fall back upon. 

For our own part, I think we all felt that the com- 
parative scarcity of meat this morning was an agreeable 
change, after our recent experiences. Animal food is so 
cheap and so good in this country that at every meal four 
or five dishes of beef or mutton, dressed in various ways, 
are provided. In the camp — as all the country round 
Buenos Ayres is called — people eat nothing but meat, 
either fresh or dried, and hardly any flour with it. Espe- 
cially in the more distant estancias, beef and mutton, 
poultry and eggs, form the staple food of the inhabitants. 
Very little bread is eaten, and no vegetables, and an at- 
tempt is rarely made to cultivate a garden of any sort. 
This year, too, the ravages of the locusts have made vege- 
table food scarcer than ever, and it must now be looked 
upon quite as a luxury by very many people ; for there 
can be little doubt that to live entirely on meat, even of 
the best quality, though probably strengthening, must be 
exceedingly monotonous. 

About one o'clock we saw the tug coming off again, 
this time with her decks crowded. We found she had 
brought us fifteen ladies and thirty gentlemen — more than 
we had expected, on account of the shortness of the no- 
tice we had been able to give. The luncheon was man- 
aged by dividing our guests into three parties, the coffee 
and dessert being served on deck ; but I am afraid the last 
division got very hungry before their time arrived. It 
could not, however, be helped, and it is to be hoped that 



A LARGE PARTY. 



103 






the examination of the various parts of the yacht and 
her contents served to while away the time. Every one 
seemed to be pleased with the appearance of the vessel, 
never having seen one like her before. Indeed, the only 
yacht that has ever been here previously is the ' Eothen,' 
which formerly belonged to us. 

Mr. St. John's servant brought me a most magnifi- 
cent bouquet, composed entirely of violets, arranged in the 
shape of a basket, three feet in width, full of camellias, 
and marked with my initials in alyssum. Altogether it 
was quite a work of art, but almost cverpoweringly sweet. 

It was late before our friends began the task of saying 
good-by — no light matter where, as in the present case, 
it is doubtful whether, or at any rate when, we shall meet 
again. At last they left us, steaming round the yacht in 
the tug, and giving us some hearty cheers as they passed. 
The Minister's flag was run up, salutes were exchanged, 
and the little steamer rapidly started off in the direction 
of the shore, followed by a dense cloud of her own smoke. 
Through a telescope we watched our friends disembark at 
the pier, and saw the train steam away ; and then we 
turned our thoughts to the arrangements for our own de- 
parture. 

Wednesday, September 2jth. — A fine breeze was blow- 
ing this morning, in a favorable direction for our start, 
but as ten and eleven o'clock arrived, and there were still 
no signs of the expected stores, Tom was in despair, and 
wanted to sail without them. I therefore volunteered to 
go ashore in the gig and see what had happened to them, 
and telegraph, if necessary, to Mr. Crabtree. Fortu- 
nately, we met the tug oh our way, and returned in tow 
of her to the yacht. Then, after settling a few bills, and 
obtaining our bill of health, we got the anchor up, and 
proceeded down the river under sail. Between one and 
two o'clock we commenced steaming, and in the course of 
the evening were clear of the River Plate and fairly on 
our way to the Straits of Magellan. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

RIVER PLATE TO SANDY POINT, STRAITS OF MAGELLAN. 

/ have seen tempests, when the scolding winds 
Have riv'd the knotty oaks ; and I have seen 

The ambitious ocean swell and rage and foam, 

To be exalted with the threafning clouds : 
But never till to-night, never till now 
Did I go through a tempest dropping fire. 

Thursday, September 2c\th. — A fine bright morning, 
with a strong, fair wind. The order to stop firing was 
given at noon, and we ceased steaming shortly after. 
There had evidently been a gale from the southward dur- 
ing the last few days, for the swell was tremendous, and 
not only made us all feel very uncomfortable after our 
long stay in harbor, but considerably diminished our 
speed. Still, we managed to go twenty-seven knots in 
two hours and a half. 

I was lying down, below, after breakfast, feeling very 
stupid, when Mabelle rushed into the cabin, saying, ' Papa 
says you are to come up on deck at once, to see the ship 
on fire.' I rushed up quickly, hardly knowing whether 
she referred to our own or some other vessel, and on 
reaching the deck I found everybody looking at a large 
bark, under full sail, flying the red union-jack upside 
down, and with signals in her rigging, which our signal- 
man read as ' Ship on fire.' These were lowered shortly 
afterwards, and the signals, ' Come on board at once,' 
hoisted in their place. Still we could see no appearance 
of smoke or flames, but we nevertheless hauled to the 
wind, tacked, hove-to, and sent off a boat's crew, well 
armed, thinking it not impossible that a mutiny had taken 

104 



A SHIP ON FIRE. 



105 



place on board, and that the captain or officers, mistaking 
the yacht for a gunboat, had appealed to us for assistance. 
We were now near enough to the bark to make out her 
name through a glass — the ' Monkshaven,' of Whitby — 
and we observed a puff of smoke issue from her deck 
simultaneously with the arrival of our boat alongside. In 
the course of a few minutes, the boat returned, bringing 
the mate of the ' Monkshaven,' a fine-looking Norwegian, 
who spoke English perfectly, and who reported his ship 
to be sixty-eight days out from Swansea, bound for Val- 




' Monkshaven ' on Fire. 

paraiso, with a cargo of smelting coal. The fire had first 
been discovered on the previous Sunday, and by 6 a.m. 
on Monday the crew had got up their clothes and provi- 
sions on deck, thrown overboard all articles of a combusti- 
ble character, such as tar, oil, paint, spare spars and sails, 
planks, and ropes, and battened down the hatches. Ever 
since then they had all been living on deck, with no pro- 
tection from the wind and sea but a canvas screen. Tom 
and Captain Brown proceeded on board at once. They 
found the deck more than a foot deep in water, and all 
a-wash ; when the hatches were opened for a moment 



106 JUST IN TIME. 

dense clouds of hot suffocating yellow smoke immediately 
poured forth, driving back all who stood near. From the 
captain's cabin came volumes of poisonous gas, which had 
found its way in through the crevices, and one man, who 
tried to enter, was rendered insensible. 

It was perfectly evident that it would be impossible 
to save the ship, and the captain therefore determined, 
after consultation with Tom and Captain Brown, to aban- 
don her. Some of the crew were accordingly at once 
brought on board the ' Sunbeam,' in our boat, which was 
then sent back to assist in removing the remainder, a por- 
tion of whom came in their own boat. The poor fellows 
were almost wild with joy at getting alongside another 
ship, after all the hardships they had gone through, and in 
their excitement they threw overboard many things which 
they might as well have kept, as they had taken the trou- 
ble to bring them. Our boat made three trips altogether, 
and by half-past six we had them all safe on board, with 
most of their effects, and the ship's chronometers, charts, 
and papers. 

The poor little dinghy, belonging to the ' Monkshaven,' 
had been cast away as soon as the men had disembarked 
from her, and there was something melancholy in seeing 
her slowly drift away to ,leeward, followed by her oars 
and various small articles, as if to rejoin the noble ship she 
had so lately quitted. The latter was now hove-to, under 
full sail, an occasional puff of smoke alone betraying the 
presence of the demon of destruction within. The sky 
was dark and lowering, the sunset red and lurid in its 
grandeur, the clouds numerous and threatening, the sea 
high and dark, with occasional streaks of white foam. 
Not a breath of wind was stirring. Everything portended 
a gale. As we lay slowly rolling from side to side, both 
ship and boat were sometimes plainly visible, and then 
again both would disappear, for what seemed an age, in 
the deep trough of the South Atlantic rollers. 

For two hours we could see the smoke pouring from 



A LAST LOOK. 107 

various portions of the ill-fated bark. Our men, who had 
brought off the last of her crew, reported that, as they 
left her, flames were just beginning to burst from the fore- 
hatchway ; and it was therefore certain that the rescue 
had not taken place an hour too soon. Whilst we were 
at dinner, Powell called us up on deck to look at her again, 
when we found that she was blazing like a tar-barrel. 
The captain was anxious to stay by and see the last of her, 
but Tom was unwilling to incur the delay which this would 
have involved. We accordingly got up steam, and at 
9 p.m. steamed round the ' Monkshaven,' as close as it 
was deemed prudent to go. No flames were visible then : 
only dense volumes of smoke and sparks; issuing from the 
hatches. The heat, however, was intense, and could be 
plainly felt, even in the cold night air, as we passed some 
distance to leeward. All hands were clustered in our rig- 
ging, on the deck-house or on the bridge, to see the last 
of the poor ' Monkshaven,' as she was slowly being burned 
down to the water's edge. 

She was a large and nearly new (three years old) com- 
posite ship, built and found by her owners, Messrs. Smales, 
of Whitby, of 657 tons burden, and classed A -i for ten 
years at Lloyd's. Her cargo, which consisted of coal for 
smelting purposes, was a very dangerous one ; so much so 
that Messrs. Nicholas, of Sunderland, from whose mines 
the coal is procured, have great difficulty in chartering 
vessels to carry it, and are therefore in the habit of build- 
ing and using their own ships for the purpose. At Bue- 
nos Ayres we were told that, of every three ships carrying 
this cargo round to Valparaiso or Callao, one catches fire, 
though the danger is frequently discovered in time to pre- 
vent much damage to the vessel or loss of life. 

The crew of the ' Monkshaven,' — Danes, Norwegians, 
Swedes, Scotch, and Welsh — appear to be quiet, respect- 
able men. This is fortunate, as an incursion of fifteen 
rough, lawless spirits on board our little vessel would have 
been rather a serious matter. In their hurry and fright, 



108 THE RESCUED CREW. 

however, they left all their provisions behind them, and it 
is no joke to have to provide food for fifteen extra hungry 
mouths for a week or ten days, with no shops at hand 
from which to replenish our stores. The sufficiency of 
the water supply, too, is a matter for serious consideration. 
We have all been put on half-allowance, and sea-water only 
is to be used for washing purposes. 




Shipwrecked Crew coming on Board. 

Some account of the disaster, as gathered from the lips 
of various members of the crew at different times, may 
perhaps be interesting. It seems that, early on Mon- 
day morning, the day following that on which the fire 
was discovered, another bark, the ' Robert Hinds,' of Liv- 
erpool, was spoken. The captain of that vessel offered to 
stand by them or do anything in his power to help them ; 
but at that time they had a fair wind for Monte Video, 
only 1 20 miles distant, and they therefore determined to 
run for that port, and do their best to save the ship, and 
possibly some of the cargo. In the course of the night, how- 



DISAPPOINTED HOPES. 



109 



ever, a terrible gale sprang up, the same, no doubt, as the 
one of which we had felt the effects on first leaving the 
River Plate. They were driven hither and thither, the sea 
constantly breaking over them and sweeping the decks, 
though fortunately without washing any of them over- 
board. After forty-eight hours of this rough usage the 
men were all exhausted, while the fire A^ks gradually in- 
creasing in strength beneath their feet, and they knew 
not at what moment it might burst through the decks 
and envelop the whole ship in flames. They were be- 
ginning to abandon all hope of a rescue, when a sail was 
suddenly discovered ; and as soon as the necessary flags 
could be found, the same signal which attracted us was dis- 
played. The vessel, now quite close to them, proved to be 
a large American steamer, but she merely hoisted her own 
ensign and code-pennant, and then coolly steamed away 
to the southward. ' I think that captain deserved tarring 
and feathering, anyway,' one of the men said to me. An- 
other observed, ' I wonder what will become of that man ; 
for we had put all our lives in his hand by signaling as 
we did, and every seaman knows that right well.' Another 
said, ' When we saw that ship go away, we all gave in 
and lay down in despair to die. But our captain, who 
is very good to his crew, and a religious man too, said, 
"There is One above who looks after us all." That was 
true enough, for, about ten minutes afterwards, as I was 
talking to the cook, and telling him it was all over with 
us, I saw a sail to leeward, and informed the captain. 
We bore down a little, but did not like to go out of our 
course too much, fearing you might be a " Portuguese," 
and play us the same trick as the American.' (They could 
not understand our white ensign ; for, our funnel being 
stowed, we looked like a sailing vessel, while all gunboats 
of our size are steamers.) ' When we saw it was an Eng- 
lish vessel, and that you answered our signals and sent a 
boat off, we were indeed thankful ; though that was noth- 
ing to what we feel now at once more having a really dry 



HO HARDSHIPS ON BOARD, 

ship under our feet. Not that we have really suffered 
anything very terrible, for we had a bit of shelter, and 
plenty to eat, and the worst part was seeing our things 
washed overboard, and thinking perhaps we might go 
next. We have not had a dry deck since we left Swan- 
sea, and the pumps have been kept going most' of the 
time. Why, with this sea, ma'am, our decks would be 
under water.' (This surprised me ; as, though low in the 
water, the ' Monkshaven ' did not appear to be overladen, 
and the Plimsoll mark was plainly visible.) ' Our boats 
were all ready for launching, but we had no sails, and 
only one rudder for the three ; so we should have had 
hard work to fetch anywhere if we had taken to them. 
We lashed the two boys — apprentices, fourteen and six- 
teen years old — in one of the boats, for fear they should 
be washed overboard. The youngest of them is the only 
son of his mother, a widow ; and you could see how she 
loved him by the way she had made his clothes, and fitted 
him out all through. He was altogether too well found 
for a ship like ours, but now most of his things are lost. 
His chest could not be got up from below, and though I 
borrowed an old bread-bag from the steward, it was not half 
big enough, and his sea-boots and things his mother had 
given him to keep him dry and cover his bed — not oilskins, 
like ours.' — ' Mackintoshes,' I suggested. — ' Yes, that's the 
name — they were all lost. It did seem a pity. The boy 
never thought there was much danger till this morning, 
when I told him all hope was gone, as the American ship 
had sailed away from us. He said, "Will the ship go to 
the bottom ? " and I replied, " I fear so ; but we have good 
boats, so keep up your heart, little man." He made no 
further remark, but laid down gently again, and cried a 
little.' 

This poor child was dreadfully frightened in the small 
boat coming alongside, and his look of joy and relief, 
when once he got safely on board, was a treat to me. 
Every one on board, including the captain, seems to have 



THE ONLY VICTIM. Iir 

been very kind to him. One of the men had his foot 
broken by the sea, and the captain himself had his leg 
severely injured ; so the doctor has some cases at last. 

It was almost impossible to sleep during the night, 
owing to the heavy rolling, by far the most violent that 
we have yet experienced. 

Friday, September 29th. — Again a fine morning. A 
fair breeze sprang up, and, the dreaded storm having 
apparently passed over, we ceased steaming at 6 a.m. 

All on board are now settling down into something 
like order. The stewards are arranging matters below, 
and measuring out the stores, to allowance the men for 
twelve days. The men belonging respectively to the port 
and starboard watches of the ' Monkshaven ' have been 
placed in the corresponding watches on board the ' Sun- 
beam.' The cook and steward are assisting ours below, 
and the two boys are very happy, helping in the kitchen, 
and making themselves generally useful. The deck does 
not look quite as neat as usual. Such of the men's sea- 
chests as have been saved are lashed round the steam- 
chest, so that they can be got at easily, while their bags 
and other odd things have been stowed on deck, wherever 
they can be kept dry ; for every inch of available space be- 
low is occupied. Captain Runciman is writing, with tears 
in his eyes, the account of the loss of his fine ship. He tells 
me that he tried in vain to save sixty pounds' worth of his 
own private charts from his cabin, but it was impossible, on 
account of the stifling atmosphere, which nearly overpow- 
ered him. Fortunately, all his things are insured. He 
drowned his favorite dog, a splendid Newfoundland, just 
before leaving the ship ; for although a capital watch-dog, 
and very faithful, he was rather large and fierce ; and when 
it was known that the ' Sunbeam ' was a yacht, with ladies 
and children on board, he feared to introduce him. Poor 
fellow ! I wish I had known about it in time to save his life. 

The great danger of smelting coal, as a ship's cargo, 
besides its special liability to spontaneous combustion, 



112 A DANGEROUS CARGO. 

appears to be that the fire may smolder in the very center 
of the mass for so long that, when the smoke is at last 
discovered, it is impossible to know how far the mischief 
has advanced. It may go on smoldering quietly for 
days, or at any moment the gas that has been generated 
may burst up the vessel's decks from end to end, without 
the slightest warning. Or it may burn downwards, and 
penet r ate some portion of the side of the ship below 
water; so that, before any suspicion has been aroused, 
the water rushes in, and the unfortunate ship and her 
crew go to the bottom. On board the ' Monkshaven ' 
the men dug down into the cargo in many places on Sun- 
day night, only to find that the heat became more intense 
the deeper they went ; and several of them had their 
hands or fingers burned in the operation. 

This has been about the best day for sailing that we 
have had since we left the tropics. The sea has been 
smooth, and a fair breeze has taken us steadily along at 
the rate of nine knots an hour. The sun shone brightly 
beneath a blue sky, and the temperature is delightful. 
The sunset was grand, though the sky looked threatening ; 
but the moon rose brilliantly, and until we went to bed, 
at ten o'clock, the evening was as perfect as the day had 
been. At midnight, however, Tom and I were awakened 
by a knock at our cabin door, and the gruff voice of 
Powell, saying : ' The barometer's going down very fast, 
please, sir, and it's lightning awful in the sou'-west. 
There's a heavy storm coming up.' We were soon on 
deck, where we found all hands busily engaged in prepar- 
ing for the tempest. Around us a splendid sight presented 
itself. On one side a heavy bank of black clouds could be 
seen rapidly approaching, while the rest of the heavens 
were brilliantly illuminated by forked and sheet lightning, 
the thunder meanwhile rolling and rattling without inter- 
mission. An ominous calm followed, during which the 
men had barely time to lower all the sails on deck, with- 
out waiting to stow them, the foresail and jib only being 



TOUGH MORSELS. 113 

left standing, when the squall struck us, not very severely, 
but with a blast as hot as that from a furnace. We 
thought worse was coming, and continued our prepara- 
tions ; but the storm passed rapidly away to windward/ 
and was succeeded by torrents of rain, so that it was 
evident we could only have had quite the tail of it. 

Saturday, September 30M. — The morning broke bright 
and clear, and was followed by a calm, bright, sunigy day, 
of which I availed myself to take some photographs of 
the captain and crew of the ' Monkshaven.' The wind 
failed us entirely in the afternoon, and it became necessary 
to get up steam. In the ordinary course of things, we 
should probably have had sufficient patience to wait for 
the return of the breeze ; but the recent large addition to 
our party made it desirable for us to lose as little time 
as possible in reaching Sandy Point. Another grand but 
wild-looking sunset seemed like the precursor of a storm ; 
but we experienced nothing worse than a sharp squall 
of hot wind, accompanied by thunder and lightning. 

Sunday, October 1st. — A fine morning, with a fair wind. 
At eleven we. had a short service, at four a longer one, 
with an excellent sermon from Tom, specially adapted to 
the rescue of the crew of the burning ship. As usual, 
the sunset, which was magnificent, was succeeded by a 
slight storm, which passed over without doing us any harm. 
I have said that it was found impossible to save any 
provisions from the ' Monkshaven.' As far as the men 
are concerned, I think this is hardly to be regretted, for I 
am told that the salt beef with which they were supplied 
had lain in pickle for so many years that the saltpeter had 
eaten all the nourishment out of it, and had made it so 
hard that the men, instead of eating it, used to amuse 
themselves by carving it into snuff-boxes, little models of 
ships, &c. I should not, however, omit to mention that 
Captain Runciman managed to bring away with him four 
excellent York hams, which he presented to us, and one 
of which we had to-day at dinner. 
8 



114 CAPE VIRGIN. 

Wednesday, October 4th. — At 6 a.m., on going on deck, 
I found we were hove-to under steam and closely-reefed 
sails, a heavy gale blowing from the south-west right 
ahead. The screw was racing round in the air every time 
we encountered an unusually big wave ; the spray was 
dashing over the vessel, and the water was rushing along 
the deck — altogether an uncomfortable morning. As the 
sun rose, the gale abated, and in the course of the day the 
reefs were shaken out of the sails, one by one, until, by 
sunset, we were once more under whole canvas, beating to 
windward. There were several cries of ' land ahead ' dur- 
ing the day, but in each case a close examination, through 
a glass, proved that the fancied coast-line or mountain-top 
existed only in cloud-land. 

Thursday, October $th. — We made the land early, and 
most uninteresting it looked, consisting, as it did, of a low 
sandy shore, with a background of light clay-colored cliffs. 
Not a vestige of vegetation was anywhere to be seen, and 
I am quite at a loss to imagine what the guanacos and os- 
triches, with which the chart tells us the country hereabouts 
abounds, find to live upon. About twelve o'clock we made 
Cape Virgin, looking very like Berry Head to the north 
of Torbay, and a long spit of low sandy land, stretching 
out to the southward, appropriately called Dungeness. 

Some of the charts brought on board by Captain Run- 
ciman were published by Messrs. Imray, of London, and 
in one of them it is represented that a fine fixed light has 
been established on Cape Virgin.* This we knew to be 
an impossibility, not only on account of the general char- 
acter of the country, but because no indication is given of 
the light in our newest Admiralty charts. Captain Run- 
ciman, however, had more confidence in the correctness 
of his own chart, and could hardly believe his eyes when 

* I have since received a letter from Messrs. Imray requesting me 
to state that the light was inserted on erroneous information from the 
hydrographic office at Washington, and has since been erased from 
their charts. 



TRANSFER OF THE CREW. 



"5 



he saw that the light really had no existence on the bare 
bleak headland. His faith was terribly shaken, and I 
hope he will not omit to call Messrs. Imray's attention to 
the matter on his return home ; for the mistake is most 
serious, and one which might lead to the destruction of 
many a good ship. 

About two o'clock we saw in the far distance what 
looked at first like an island, and then like smoke, but 
gradually shaped itself into the masts, funnel, and hull of 
a large steamer. From her rig we at once guessed her 
to be the Pacific Company's mail boat, homeward bound. 
When near enough, we accordingly hoisted our num- 
ber, and signaled ' We wish to communicate,' whereupon 
she bore down upon us and ceased steaming. We then 
rounded up under her lee and lowered a boat, and Tom, 
Mabelle, and I, with Captain Runciman and four or five 
of the shipwrecked crew, went on board. Our advent 
caused great excitement, and seamen and passengers all 
crowded into the bows to watch us. As we approached 
the ladder the passengers ran aft, and directly we reached 
the deck the captain took possession of Tom, the first 
and second officers of Mabelle and myself, while Captain 
Runciman and each of his crew were surrounded by a 
little audience eager to know what had happened, and all 
about it. At first it was thought that we all wanted a 
passage, but when we explained matters Captain Thomas, 
the commander of the ' Illimani,' very kindly undertook 
to receive all our refugees and convey them to England. 
We therefore sent the gig back for the rest of the men 
and the chests of the whole party, and then availed our- 
selves of the opportunity afforded by the delay to walk 
round the ship. It was most amusing to see the interest 
with which we were regarded by all on board. Passen- 
gers who had never been seen out of their berths since 
leaving Valparaiso, and others who were indulging, at 
the time of our visit, in the luxury of a ' day sleep,' be- 
tween the twelve-o'clock luncheon and four-o'clock dinner, 



Il6 WELCOME SUPPLIES. 

suddenly made their appearance, in dressing-gowns and 
wraps, with disheveled hair and wide-opened eyes, gazing 
in mute astonishment at us, quite unable to account for 
our mysterious arrival on board in this out-of-the-way 
spot. A mail steamer does not stop for a light cause, 
and it was therefore evident to them that the present was 
no ordinary occurrence. The captain told us that the 
last time he passed through the Straits he picked up two 
boats' crews, who had escaped from a burning ship, and 
who had suffered indescribable hardships before they were 
rescued. 

Captain Runciman is convinced, after comparing notes 
with ' the chief officer of the ' Illimani,' that the vessel 
which refused to notice his signal of distress was the ' Wil- 
mington,' sent down from New York, with a party of forty 
wreckers, to try and get the steamer ' Georgia ' off the 
rocks near Port Famine, in the Straits of Magellan. If 
this be so, it is the more surprising that no attempt was 
made to render assistance to the ' Monkshaven,' pro- 
vided her signals were understood, as the ' Wilming- 
ton ' had plenty of spare hands, and could not have been 
in a particular hurry. Moreover, one would think that, 
with her powerful engines, she might have made an at- 
tempt to tow the distressed vessel into Monte Video, and so 
secure three or four thousand pounds of salvage money.* 

The captain of the ' Illimani ' kindly gave us half a 
bullock, killed this morning, a dozen live ducks and chick- 
ens, and the latest newspapers. Thus supplied with food 
for body and mind, we said farewell, and returned to the 
' Sunbeam ; ' our ensigns were duly dipped, we steamed 
away on our respective courses, and in less than an hour 
we were out of sight of each other. It is a sudden change 
for the ' Monkshaven ' men, who were all very reluc- 
tant to leave the yacht. Many of them broke down at 
the last moment, particularly when it came to saying 

* See p. 125. 



REGRET AT PARTI XG. 



117 



good-by to Tom and me, at the gangway of the steamer. 
They had seemed thoroughly to appreciate any kindnesses 
they received while with us, and were anxious to show 
their gratitude in every possible way. The two boys, es- 
pecially, were in great grief at their departure, and were 
very loath to part with their boatswain, who remains with 
us to make up our complement.* 

About 8 p.m we anchored for the night in Possession 
Bay. It was thick at sunset, but afterwards clear and 
cold, with a splendid moon. 

Friday, October 6th. — We got underway at 5.30 a.m., 
and steamed past the low sandy coast of Patagonia and 
the rugged mountains of Terra del Fuego, and through 
the First and Second Narrows, to Cape Negro, where the 



* After our return to England the following letter reached us from 
Messrs. Smales : — 

Whitby, June 30th, 1S77. 
' Thomas Brassey, Esq. 

' Dear Sir, — Observing by the newspapers that you have returned 
home after your cruise, we take this opportunity of thanking you most heart- 
ily for the valuable assistance you rendered to the crew of our late bark 
" Monkshaven, ' in lat. 43 28 S., Ion. 62 21 W., after she proved to be on 
fire and beyond saving. Your kind favor of October 1 last duly reached us, 
and it was very satisfactory to know from an authority like your own, that all 
was done under the trying circumstances that was possible to save the ship 
and cargo. The inconvenience of having so many extra hands for the time 
on board your vessel must have tried your resources ; but you will be prob- 
ably aware that the Board of Trade willingly compensate for loss sustained 
in rescuing a crew, when a claim is made. You will be glad to learn that 
the master and crew arrived all well, in due course, at Liverpool, by the 
" Illimani," and were very grateful for your kindness to them. Our ill- 
fated vessel must have sunk very soon after you took off the crew, as nothing 
more has been heard of her, and it was a most fortunate circumstance that 
you were so near at hand ; more especially as the captain reported to us 
that a vessel carrying the American colors took no notice of his signal of 
distress. As shipowners, we generally find that our own countrymen are 
more heroic, and always ready to lend a helping hand to brother mariners 
in distress, so that, as you say, we do not doubt you experienced -some satis- 
faction in rendering this service. — Trusting that you have enjoyed your trip, 
we beg to remain yours, truly obliged, 

'Smales Brothers.' 



I iS SANDY POINT. 

character of the scenery began to improve a little, the 
vegetation gradually changing from low scrubby brush- 
wood to respectable-sized trees. When passing between 
Elizabeth Island, so named by Sir Francis Drake, and the 
island of Santa Madalena, we looked in vain for the my- 
riads of seals, otters, and sea-lions with which this portion 
of the Straits is said to abound ; but we saw only seven 
or eight little black spots on the shore, in the distance, 
which disappeared into the sea as we approached. 

At 3 p.m. we reached Sandy Point, the only civilized 
place in the Straits. It is a Chilian settlement, and a 
large convict establishment has been formed here by the 
Government. Almost before we had dropped our anchor, 
the harbor-master came on board, closely followed by the 
officers of the two Chilian men-of-war lying in the har- 
bor. The rain, which had been threatening all day, now 
descended in torrents, and we landed in a perfect down- 
pour. We thought the pier at Buenos Ayres unsafe and 
rickety, but here matters were still worse, for the head of 
the structure had been completely washed away by a gale, 
and no little care was necessary in order to step across the 
broken timbers in safety. The town, which contains be- 
tween 1,200 and 1,300 inhabitants, is composed entirely of 
one-storied log huts, with slate or tile roofs, and with 
or without verandas. They are all arranged in squares, 
separated from each other by wide roads ; and the whole 
settlement is surrounded by stockades. At the farther 
end of the town stands the convict prison, distinguished 
by its tower, and the Governor's house, which, though 
built of wood, is the most- pretentious-looking edifice in 
the place. There is a nice little church close by, and 
some tidy-looking barracks. 

We went straight to the house of the British Vice- 
Consul, who received us very kindly, and promised to do 
what he could to assist us in obtaining supplies ; but the 
resources of the place are limited, and eggs, ship's beef 
and biscuits, and water, will, I expect, be the sum total of 



PATAGONIAN INDIANS. 



II 9 



what we shall be able to procure. In fact, it is rather 
doubtful whether we shall even be able to renew our 
stock of coal. In the meantime we started off to pot- 
ter about the town, finding, however, very little to 
amuse us. There were some new-laid ostrich eggs to be 
bought, and some queer-looking worked Patagonian sad- 
dle-bags. 

I fear we shall not see any of the Patagonians them- 
selves, for they come to the colony only three or four 
times a year, to purchase supplies, and to sell skins and 
ostrich eggs. They are a mounted tribe of Indians, liv- 
ing on the northern plains, and are now on their way 
down here, to pay one of their periodical visits; but, 
being encumbered with their families, they move very 
slowly, and are not expected to arrive for another ten 
days. They will no doubt bring a splendid supply of 
skins, just too late for us, which is rather disappointing, 
particularly as we are not likely to have another opportu- 
nity of meeting with them at any of the places we touch 
at. They live so far in the interior of the country that 
they very seldom visit the coast. 

We went to see three Fuegian females, who are living 
in a house belonging to the medical officer of the colony. 
They were picked up a short time since by a passing 
steamer from a canoe, in which they had evidently sought 
refuge from some kind of cruelty or oppression. The big- 
gest of them, a stout, fine-looking woman, had a terrible gash 
in her leg, quite recently inflicted, and the youngest was 
not more than eight years old. They appeared cheerful 
and happy, but we were, told that they are not likely to 
live long. After the free life and the exposure to which 
they have been accustomed, civilization — in the shape of 
clothing and hot houses — almost always kills them. Their 
lungs become diseased, and they die miserably. , Their 
skin is slightly copper-colored, their complexions, high- 
colored, their hair thick and black ; and, though cer- 
tainly not handsome, they are by no means so repulsive as 



120 GUANACO ROBES. 

I had expected from the descriptions of Cook, Dampier, 
Darwin, and other more recent travelers. 

Saturday, October Jtk. — My birthday. Tom gave me 
a beautiful guanaco-skin robe, and the children presented 
me with two ostrich rugs. The guanaco is a kind of large 
deer, and it is said that the robes made from its skin are 
the warmest in the world. People here assure me that 
with the hair turned inside, these robes have afforded 
them sufficient protection to enable them to sleep in com- 
fort in the open air, exposed to snow, frost, and rain. 
They are made from the skin of the young fawns, killed 
before they are thirteen days old, or, better still, from the 
skins of those which have never had an independent 
existence. In color, the animals are a yellowish brown 
on the back, and white underneath, and they are so small 
that when each skin is split up it produces only two 
triangular patches, about the size of one's hand. A num- 
ber of these are then, with infinite trouble, sewed neatly 
together by the Indian women, who use the fine leg-sinews 
of the ostrich as thread. Those worn by the caciques, or 
chiefs, have generally a pattern in the center, a brown 
edging, and spots of red and blue paint on the part which 
is worn outwards. Such robes are particularly difficult to 
obtain, on account of the labor and time necessary to pro- 
duce them. Each cacique keeps several wives constantly 
employed in making them, of the best as well as of the 
ordinary description. The ostrich rugs, which are made 
here, are more ornamental, though not so warm and light 
as the guanaco robes. They are made of the entire skin 
of the ostrich, from which the long wing-feathers have 
been pulled out. Mabelle has been given a beautiful 
little rug composed of the skins of thirty little ostriches, 
all from one nest, killed when they were a fortnight old, 
each skin resembling a prettily marked ball of fluff. 

At eleven o'clock we went ashore. The Governor had 
kindly provided horses for all the party, and while they 
were being saddled I took some photographs. There are 



PA TA GONIAN SADDLES. I 2 1 

plenty of horses here, but the only saddles and bridles 
to be had are those used by the natives. The saddles are 
very cumbrous and clumsy to look at, though rather pic- 
turesque. They are formed of two bits of wood, covered 
with about a dozen sheepskins and ponchos ; not at all 
uncomfortable to ride in, and very suitable for a night's 
bivouac in the open. ' Plenty of nice soft rugs to lie upon 
and cover yourself with, instead of a hard English saddle 
for your bed and stirrups for blankets,' as a native once 
said, when asked which he preferred. About one o'clock 
we started, accompanied by the officers commanding the 
garrison and two attendant cavaliers, equipped in Chilian 
style, with enormous carved modern stirrups, heavy bits 
and spurs much bigger than those whose size struck us so 
much in the Argentine Republic. We had a pleasant ride, 
first across a sandy plain and through one or two small 
rivers, to a saw-mill, situated on the edge of an extensive 
forest, through which we proceeded for some miles. The 
road was a difficult one, and our progress was but slow, 
being often impeded by a morass or by the trunk of a 
tree which had fallen right across the path, and was now 
rapidly rotting into touchwood under the influence of the 
damp atmosphere and incessant rain. Lichens of every 
color and shape abounded, and clothed the trunks grace- 
fully, contrasting with the tender spring tints of the 
leaves, while the long hairy tillandsia, like an old man's 
beard, three or four feet long, hung down from the top- 
most branches. The ground was carpeted with moss, 
interspersed with a few early spring flowers, and the 
whole scene, though utterly unlike that presented by any 
English forest, had a strange weird beauty of its own. 
Not a sound could be heard ; not a bird, beast, or insect 
was to be seen. The larger trees were principally a pe- 
culiar sort of beech and red cedar, but all kinds of ever- 
greens, known to us at home as shrubs, such as laurestina 
and various firs, here attain the proportions of forest-trees. 
There is also a tree called Winter's Bark {Drimys Winteri), 



122 A RIDE TN PATAGONIA 

the leaves and bark of which are hot and bitter, and 
form an excellent substitute for quinine. But the most 
striking objects were the evergreen berberis and mahonia, 
and the Darwinii, the larger sort of which was covered 
with brilliant orange, almost scarlet, flowers, which hung 
down in bunches of the shape and size of small outdoor 
grapes. 

On our way back we took a sharp turn leading to the 
sea-shore, to which the forest extends in places, and rode 
along the beach towards the town. It was low water, or 
this would not have been possible, and as it was, we often 
had considerable difficulty in making our way between 
wood and water. The day was bright and clear, with a 
bitterly cold wind and occasional heavy showers of rain ; a 
fair average day for Sandy Point. It is farther west, they 
say, that the weather is so hopeless. Lieutenant Byron, 
in his terribly interesting account of the wreck of the 
' Wager,' says that one fine day in three months is the 
most that can be expected. I wonder, not without mis- 
givings, if we really shall encounter all the bad weather 
we not only read of but hear of from every one we meet. 
Though very anxious to see the celebrated Straits, I shall 
not be sorry when we are safely through, and I trust that 
the passage may not occupy the whole of the three weeks 
which Tom has been advised to allow for it. 

We saw a few sea-birds, especially some ' steamer- 
ducks,' so called from their peculiar mode of progression 
through the water. They neither swim nor fly, but use 
their wings like the paddles of a steamer, with a great 
noise and splutter, and go along very fast. On reaching 
the plains we had an opportunity of testing the speed of. 
our horses, which warmed us up a little after our slow pro- 
gress by the water's edge in the bitter wind. We rode all 
round the stockades, outside the town, before dismounting, 
but I saw nothing of special interest. Before the party 
broke up, arrangements were made for us to go to-mor- 
row to one of the government corrals, to see the cattle 



HORSE INDIANS. 



123 



lassoed and branded — an operation which is always per- 
formed twice a year. 

We reached the yacht again at half -past five. Dr. 
Fenton came on board to dinner, and from him we heard 
a great deal about the colony, the Patagonians or Horse 
Indians, and the Fuegians or Canoe Indians. The former 
inhabit, or rather roam over, a vast tract of country. 
They are almost constantly on horseback, and their only 
shelter consists of toldos, or tents, made of the skins of 
the old guanacos, stretched across a few poles. They are 
tall and strong, averaging six feet in height, and are bulky 
in proportion ; but their size is nothing like so great as 
old travelers have represented. Both men and women 
wear a long flowing mantle of skins, reaching from the 
waist to the ankle, with a large loose piece hanging down 
on one side, ready to be thrown over their heads when 
necessary, which is fastened by a large flat pin hammered 
out either from the rough silver or from a dollar. This, 
their sole garment, has the effect of adding greatly in ap- 
pearance to their height. They never wash, but daub 
their bodies with paint and grease, especially the women. 
Their only weapons are knives and bolas, the latter of which 
they throw with unerring precision. During their visits to 
the Sandy Point settlement their arms are always taken 
from them, for they are extremely quarrelsome, particu- 
larly when drunk. Nobody has been able to ascertain 
that they possess any form of sacred belief, or that they 
perform any religious ceremonies. Their food consists 
principally of the flesh of mares, troops of which animals 
always accompany them on their excursions. They also 
eat ostrich-flesh, which is considered a great delicacy, as 
well as the fish the women catch, and the birds' eggs they 
find. Vegetable food is almost unknown to them, and 
bread is never used, though they do sometimes purchase 
a little flour, rice, and a few biscuits, on the occasion of 
their visits to the colony. 

The Fuegians, or Canoe Indians, as they are generally 



124 



CANOE INDIANS. 



called, from their living so much on the water, and hav- 
ing no settled habitations on shore, are a much smaller 
race of savages, inhabiting Terra del Fuego — literally 
Land of Fire — so called from the custom the inhabitants 
have of lighting fires on prominent points as signals of 
assembly. The English residents here invariably call it 
Fireland — a name I had never heard before, and which 
rather puzzled me at first. Whenever it is observed that a 
ship is in distress, or that shipwrecked mariners have been 
cast ashore, the signal-fires appear as if by magic, and 
the natives flock together like vultures round a carcass. 
On the other hand, if all goes well, vessels often pass 
through the Straits without seeing a single human being, 
the savages and their canoes lying concealed beneath 
the overhanging branches of trees on the shore. They 
are cannibals, and are placed by Darwin in the lowest 
scale of humanity. An old author describes them as 
1 magpies in chatter, baboons in countenance, and imps 
in treachery.' Those frequenting the eastern end of the 
Straits wear — if they wear anything at all — a deerskin man- 
tle, descending to the waist : those at the western end 
wear cloaks made from the skin of the sea-otter. But 
most of them are quite naked. Their food is of the most 
meager description, and consists mainly of shell-fish, sea- 
eggs, for which the women dive with much dexterity, 
and fish, which they train their dogs to assist them 
in catching. These dogs are sent into the water at the 
entrance to a narrow creek or small bay, and they then 
bark and flounder about and drive the fish before them 
into shallow water, where they are caught. 

Bishop Selwyn, of the Falkland Islands, has been cruis- 
ing about these parts in a small schooner, and visiting the 
natives for the last twelve years, and the Governor here 
tells us that he has done much good in promoting their 
civilization ; while the hardships he has endured, and the 
difficulties and dangers he has surmounted, have required 
almost superhuman energy and fortitude on his part. 






THE 'WILMINGTON S' EXPLANATION. 125 

The Fuegians, as far as is known, have no religion of 
their own. 

The ' Wilmington ' came in this morning. Her captain 
declares that as the ' Monkshaven ' was not hove-to, he 
never thought that there could be anything seriously amiss 
with her. His glass was not good enough to enable him 
to make out the union-jack reversed, or the signal of dis- 
tress, which he therefore supposed to be merely the ship's 
number. It was satisfactory to hear this explanation ; 
and as not only the interests of humanity, but his own, 
were involved, there is every reason to believe that his 
account of the transaction is perfectly true. 



CHAPTER IX. 

SANDY POINT TO LOTA BAY. 

And far abroad the canvas wings extend, 
Along the glassy plain the vessel glides, 
While azure radia?tce trembles on her sides ; 
The lunar rays in long reflection gleam, 
With silver deluging the fluid stream. 

Sunday, October 2>th. — At 6 a.m. we weighed anchor, 
and proceeded on our voyage. At first there was not 
much to admire in the way of scenery, the shores being 
low and sandy, with occasional patches of scrubby brush- 
wood, and a background of granite rocks and mountains. 

Soon after passing Port Famine we saw the bold out- 
line of Cape Froward, the southernmost point of South 
America, stretching into the Straits. It is a fine headland, 
and Tom ordered the engines to be stopped in order to 
enable Mr. Bingham to sketch, and me to photograph, 
both it and the splendid view back through the channel 
we had just traversed to the snowy range of mountains in 
the distance, crowned by Mount Sarmiento, not unlike the 
Matterhorn in appearance. 

At this point the weather generally changes, and I 
suppose we must look forward to living in mackintoshes 
for some little time to come. 

In the afternoon, when in English Reach, where many 
vessels have been lost, great excitement was caused on 
board by the appearance of a canoe on our port bow. 
She was stealing out from the Barbara Channel, and as 
she appeared to be making direct for us, Tom ordered the 
engines to be slowed. Her occupants thereupon redoubled 
their efforts, and came paddling towards us, shouting and 
making the most frantic gesticulations, one man waving a 

126 



STRANGE VISITORS. 



127 



skin round his head with an amount of energy that threat- 
ened to upset the canoe. This frail craft, upon a nearer 
inspection, proved to be made only of rough planks, rudely 
tied together with the sinews of animals ; in fact, one of 




Bartering with Fuegians. 

the party had to bale constantly, in order to keep her 
afloat. We flung them a rope, and they came alongside, 
shouting ' Tobaco, galleta ' (biscuit), a supply of which we 
threw down to them, in exchange for the skins they had 
been waving; whereupon the two men stripped themselves 
of the skin mantles they were wearing, made of eight or 
ten sea-otter skins sewed together with finer sinews than 
those used for the boat, and handed them up, clamoring 
for more tobacco, which we gave them, together with some 
beads and knives.* Finally, the woman, influenced by this 

* These skins proved to be the very finest quality ever plucked, and 
each separate skin was valued in England at from £4. to £5. 



128 BORJA BAY. 

example, parted with her sole garment, in return for a 
little more tobacco, some beads, and some looking-glasses 
I had thrown into the canoe. 

The party consisted of a man, a woman, and a lad ; and 
I think I never saw delight more strongly depicted than 
it was on the faces of the two latter, when they handled, 
for the first time in their lives probably, some strings of 
blue, red, and green glass beads. They had two rough 
pots, made of bark, in the boat, which they also sold, after 
which they reluctantly departed, quite naked but very 
happy, shouting and jabbering away in the most inarticu- 
late language imaginable. It was with great difficulty we 
could make them let go the rope, when we went ahead, 
and I was quite afraid they would be upset. They were 
all fat and healthy-looking, and, though not handsome, 
their appearance was by no means repulsive ; the counte- 
nance of the woman, especially, wore quite a pleasing ex- 
pression, when lighted up with smiles at the sight of the 
beads and looking-glasses. The bottom of their canoe 
was covered with branches, amongst which the ashes of a 
recent fire, were distinguishable. Their paddles were of 
the very roughest description, consisting simply of split 
branches of trees, with wider pieces tied on at one end 
with the sinews of birds or beasts. 

Steaming ahead, past Port Gallant, we had a glorious 
view over Carlos III. Island and Thornton Peaks, until, at 
about seven o'clock, we anchored in the little harbor of 
Borja Bay. This place is encircled by luxuriant vegeta- 
tion, overhanging the water, and is set like a gem amid 
the granite rocks close at hand, and the far-distant snowy 
mountains. 

Our carpenter had prepared a board, on which the 
name of the yacht and the date had been painted, to be 
fixed on shore, as a record of our visit ; and as soon as the 
anchor was down we all landed, the gentlemen with their 
guns, and the crew fully armed with pistols and rifles, in 
case of accident. The water was quite deep close to the 



LEAVING OUR CARDS. 



129 



shore, and we had no difficulty in landing, near a small 
waterfall. To penetrate far inland, however, was not so 
easy, owing to the denseness of the vegetation. Large 
trees had fallen, and, rotting where they lay, under the in- 
fluence of the humid atmosphere, had become the birth- 
place of thousands of other trees, shrubs, plants, ferns, 
mosses, and lichens. In fact, in some places we might 
almost be said to be walking on the tops of the trees, and 
first one and then another of the party found his feet sud- 
denly slipping through into unknown depths below. Un- 
der these circumstances we were contented with a very 
short ramble, and having filled our baskets with a varied 
collection of mosses and ferns, we returned to the shore, 
where we found many curious shells and some excellent 
mussels. While we had been thus engaged, the carpenter 
and some of the crew were employed in nailing up our 
board on a tree we had selected for the purpose. It 
was in company with the names of many good ships, a * 
portion of which only were still legible, many of the boards 
having fallen to the ground and become quite rotten. 

Near the beach we found the remains of a recent fire, 
and in the course of the night the watch on deck, which was 
doubled and well armed, heard shouts and hoots proceed- 
ing from the neighborhood of the shore. Towards morn- 
ing, too, the fire was relighted, from which it was evident 
that the natives were not far off, though they did not ac- 
tually put in an appearance. ' I suppose they think there 
is a probability of making something out of us by fair 
means, and that, unlike a sealing schooner, with only four 
or five hands on board, and no motive power but her sails, 
we are rather too formidable to attack. 

Monday, October gth. — We are indeed most fortunate 
in having another fine day. At 6 a.m. the anchor was 
weighed, and we resumed our journey. It was very cold, 
but that was not to be wondered at, surrounded as we are 
on every side by magnificent snow-clad mountains and 
superb glaciers. First we passed Snowy Sound, in Terra 
9 



13° 



FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE PACIFIC. 



del Fuego, at the head of which is an immense blue gla- 
cier. Then came Cape Notch, so called from its looking 
as if it had had a piece chopped out of it. Within a few 
yards of the surrounding glaciers, and close to the sea, 
the vegetation is abundant, and in many places semi-tropi- 
cal, a fact which is due to the comparatively mild win- 
ters, the temperate summers, the moist climate, and the 
rich soil of these parts. Passing up English Reach, we 
now caught our first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, between 
Cape Pillar on one side, and Westminster Hall, Shell Bay 
and Lecky Point, on the other. Steering to the north, 
and leaving these on the left hand, we issued from the 
Straits of Magellan, and entered Smyth's Channel, first 
passing Glacier Bay and Ice Sound, names which speak 
for themselves. Mount Joy, Mount Burney, with its 
round snow-covered summit, rising six thousand feet from 
the water, and several unnamed peaks, were gradually left 
behind ; until, at last, after threading a labyrinth of small 
islands, we anchored for the night in Otter Bay, a snug 
little cove, at the entrance to the intricacies of the Mayne 
Channel. 

It was almost dark when we arrived, but the children, 
Captain Brown, and I, went on shore for a short time, and 
gathered a few ferns and mosses. We also found the 
embers of a fire, which showed that the natives were not 
far off, and we therefore thought it prudent to hurry on 
board again before nightfall. No names of ships were to 
be seen ; but, in our search for ferns, we may possibly 
have overlooked them. We have not come across any 
Fuegians to-day, though in two of the places we have 
passed — Shell Bay and Deep Harbor, where a few wig- 
wams are left standing as a sort of head-quarters — they 
are generally to be met with. During the night the watch 
again heard the natives shouting ; but no attempt was 
made to re-light the fire we had noticed, until we were 
steaming out of the bay the next morning. 

Tuesday, October loth. — In the early morning, when 



SPLENDID GLACIERS. 



J 3i 



we resumed our voyage, the weather was still fine ; but a 
few light clouds were here and there visible, and an icy 
wind, sweeping down from the mountains, made it ap- 
pear very cold, though the thermometer — which averages, 
I think, 40 to 50 all the year round — was not really low. 
The line of perpetual snow commences here at an 
elevation of from 2,500 to 3,500 feet only, which adds 
greatly to the beauty of the scene ; and as it is now early 
spring the snow is still unmelted 500 feet, and even less, 
from the shore. The stupendous glaciers run right down 
into the sea, and immense masses of ice, sometimes larger 
than a ship, are continually breaking off, with a noise like 
thunder, and falling into the water, sending huge waves 
across to the opposite shore, and sometimes completely 
blocking up the channels. Some of these glaciers, com- 
posed entirely of blue and green ice and the purest snow, 
are fifteen and twenty miles in length. They are by far 
the finest we have, any of us, ever seen ; and even those 
of Norway and Switzerland sink into comparative insig- 
nificance beside them. The mountains here are not so 
high as those of Europe, but they really appear more 
lofty, as their entire surface, from the water's edge to the 
extreme summit, is clearly visible. At this end of the 
Straits they terminate in peaks, resembling Gothic spires, 
carved in the purest snow ; truly ' virgin peaks,' on which 
the eye of man has but seldom rested, and which his foot 
has never touched. They are generally veiled in clouds 
of snow, mist, and driving rain, and it is quite the ex- 
ception to see them as distinctly as we now do. 

After leaving Mayne's Channel, and passing through 
Union and Collingwood Sounds, we found ourselves be- 
neath the shadow of the splendid Cordilleras of Sarmiento 
— quite distinct from Mount Sarmiento, already referred 
to — along the foot of which extended the largest glacier 
we have yet seen.* With Tarleton Pass on our right 

*I should explain that the names of places in these Straits fre- 
quently occur in duplicate, and even triplicate, which is rather con- 
fusing. 



132 



MEETING FRIENDS. 



hand, and Childer's Pass on the left, we came in sight of 
Owen's Island, one extremity of which is called Mayne 
Head, and the other Cape Brassey, these places having 
all been so named by Captain Mayne, during his survey 
in the ' Nassau,' in 1869. Near the island of Esperanza, 
the clouds having by that time completely cleared away, 
and the sun shining brightly, we had a splendid view of 
another range of snowy mountains, with Stoke's Monu- 
ment towering high in their midst. The numerous float- 
ing icebergs added greatly to the exquisite beauty of the 
scene. . Some loomed high as mountains, while others 
had melted into the most fanciful and fairy-like shapes — 
huge swans, full-rigged ships, schooners under full sail, 
and a hundred other fantastic forms and devices. The 
children were in ecstasies at the sight of them. 

As we gradually opened out our anchorage — Puerto 
Bueno — we found a steamer already lying there, which 
proved to be the ' Dacia,' telegraph ship, just in from 
the Pacific coast. Having dropped our anchor at about 
5 p.m., we all went on shore, armed as before, some of the 
gentlemen hoping to find a stray duck or two, at a fresh- 
water lake, a little way inland. We met several of the 
1 officers of the ' Dacia,' who, being the first comers, did the 
honors of the place, and told us all they knew about it. 
The vegetation was as luxuriant and beautiful as usual — 
in fact, rather more so ; for we are now advancing north- 
wards at the rate of about a hundred miles a day. There 
were no ducks in the lake, but we enjoyed the scramble 
alongside it, to the point where it falls over some rocks 
into the sea. The gig was drawn under this waterfall, and 
having been loaded to her thwarts with about three tons 
and a half of excellent water, she was then towed off to 
the yacht, where the water was emptied into our tanks, 
which were thus filled to the brim. A small iceberg, also 
towed alongside, afforded us a supply of ice ; and we were 
thus cheaply provided with a portion of the requisite 
supplies for our voyage. The ' Dacia ! had an iceberg 



GLACIERS AND ICEBERGS. 



! 33 



half as big as herself lying alongside her, and all hands 
were at work until late at night, aided by the light of 
lanterns and torches, chopping the ice up and stowing it 
away. 

Our boat being thus engaged, we were obliged to wait 
on shore until long past dark ; but as we were a large and 
strong party, it did not much matter. Our men amused 
themselves by collecting a number of large and excellent 
mussels, some of which, distinguishable by the peculiar 
appearance of their shells, arising from a diseased condition 
of the fish, contained from ten to thirty very small seed 
pearls. The captain of the ' Dacia ' came to dinner, and 
the officers in the evening ; and they gave us much valua- 
ble information about the anchorages farther up the Straits, 
and many other things. The captain kindly gave Tom 
all his Chilian charts of the Darien Channel, which has 
not yet been fully surveyed by the English Government, 
though the ' Nassau ' passed through in 1869. 

Wednesday, October nth. — I never in my life saw any- 
thing so beautiful as the view when I came on deck this 
morning, at a quarter to five. The moon was shining, 
large and golden, high in the heavens ; the rosy streaks of 
dawn were just tingeing the virgin snow on the highest 
peaks with faint but ever-deepening color; whilst all 
around, the foliage, rocks, and icebergs were still wrapped 
in the deepest shade. As the sun rose, the pink summits 
of the mountains changed to gold and yellow, and then to 
dazzling white, as the light crept down into the valleys, 
illuminating all the dark places, and bringing out the 
shades of olive-greens, grays, and purples, in the most 
wonderful contrasts and combinations of color. The 
grandeur of the scene increased with every revolution of 
the screw, and when fairly in the Guia narrows we were 
able to stop and admire it a little more at our leisure, Mr. 
Bingham making some sketches, while I took some photo- 
graphs. To describe the prospect in detail is quite im- 
possible. Imagine the grandest Alpine scene you ever 



134 



ROCKS AND RAVINES. 



saw, with tall snowy peaks and pinnacles rising from huge 
domed tops, and vast fields of unbroken snow ; glaciers, 
running down into the sea, at the heads of the various 
bays; each bank and promontory richly clothed with 
vegetation of every shade of green ; bold rocks and noble 
cliffs, covered with many-hued lichens ; the floating ice- 
bergs ; the narrow channel itself, blue as the sky above, 
dotted with small islands, each a mass of verdure, and re- 
flecting on its glassy surface every object with such dis- 
tinctness that it was difficult to say where the reality 
ended and the image began. I have seen a photograph of 
the Mirror Lake, in California, which, as far as I know, is 
the only thing that could possibly give one an idea of 
the marvelous effect of these reflections. Unfit Bay, on 
Chatham Island, looking towards the mountains near Pill 
Channel, and Ladder Hill, which looks as if a flight of 
steps had been cut upon its face, were perhaps two of the 
most striking points amid all this loveliness. 

All too soon came the inevitable order to steam 
ahead ; and once more resuming our course, we passed 
through Innocents and Conception Channels, and en- 
tered Wide Channel, which is frequently blocked up with 
ice at this time of year, though to-day we only met with a 
few icebergs on their way down from Eyre Sound. 

I have already referred to the extraordinary shapes 
assumed by some of the mountain peaks. That appropri- 
ately called Singular Peak — on Chatham Island — and 
Two-peak Mountain and Cathedral Mountain — both on 
Wellington Island — specially attracted our attention to- 
day. The first-named presents a wonderful appearance, 
from whichever side you view it ; the second reminds one 
of the beautiful double spires at Tours ; while the last 
resembles the tapering spire of a cathedral, rising from 
a long roof, covered with delicate towers, fret-work, and 
angles. In Wide Channel we felt really compelled to stop 
again to admire some of the unnamed mountains. One 
we christened Spire Mountain, to distinguish it from the 



CHASM REACH. 



135 



rest : it consisted of a single needle-like point, piercing deep 
into the blue vaults of heaven, and surrounded by a clus- 
ter of less lofty but equally sharp pinnacles. This group 
rose from a vast chain of exquisitely tinted snow-peaks, that 
looked almost as if they rested on the vast glacier be- 
neath, seamed with dark blue and green crevasses and fis- 
sures. 

All this time the weather continued perfect. Not a 
cloud was to be seen, the sun was hot and bright, and the 
sky was blue enough to rival that of classic Italy. If we 
could but be sure that this delightful state of things would 
continue, how pleasant it would be to stop and explore 
some of these places ! We have, however, been so fre- 
quently warned of the possibility of detention of days and 
even weeks at anchor, owing to bad weather, that we are 
hurrying on as fast as we can, expecting that every day 
will bring the much-dreaded deluge, gale, or fog. In thick 
weather it is simply impossible to proceed ; and if it 
comes on suddenly, as it generally does, and finds you far 
from an anchorage, there is nothing to be done but to 
heave-to and wait till it clears, sending a party ashore if 
possible to light a fire, to serve as a landmark, and to en- 
able you to maintain your position. How thankful I am 
that we have been hitherto able to make the passage un- 
der such favorable circumstances ! It has been a vision 
of beauty and variety, the recollection of which can never 
be effaced. , 

Europe Inlet, on our right, going up Wide Channel, 
was full of ice. Husband's Inlet looked as if it was frozen 
over at the farther end, and Penguin Inlet seemed quite 
choked up with huge hummocks and blocks of ice. Tom 
therefore decided not to attempt the passage of Icy 
Reach, for fear of being stopped, but to go round Sau- 
marez Island to Port Grappler by way of Chasm Reach, 
rather a longer route. It was a happy decision ; for noth- 
ing could exceed the weird, impressive splendor of this 
portion of the Straits. We were passing through a deep, 



136 A DANGEROUS SPOT. 

gloomy mountain gorge, with high perpendicular cliffs 
on either side. Below, all was wrapped in the deepest 
shade. Far above, the sun gilded the snowy peaks and 
many-tinted foliage with his departing light, that slowly 
turned to rose-color ere the shades of evening crept over 
all, and the stars began to peep out, one by one. We 
could trace from the summit to the base of a lofty moun- 
tain the course of a stupendous avalanche, which had re- 
cently rushed down into the sea, crushing and destroy- 
ing everything in its way, and leaving a broad track of 
desolation behind it. It must for a time have completely 
filled up the narrow channel ; and woe to any unfortu- 
nate vessel that might happen to be there at such a mo- 
ment ! 

Port Grappler is rather a difficult place to make in the 
dark ; but Tom managed it with much dexterity, and by 
eight o'clock Ave were safely anchored for the night. We 
all wanted Tom to stay here to-morrow to get some rest, 
which we much need, but he was determined to start at 
five o'clock in the morning as usual, for fear of being 
caught by bad weather. Even I, who have of course 
had no anxiety as to the navigation, felt so fatigued from 
having been on the bridge the whole day since very early 
this morning, that I went straight to bed before dinner, 
in order to be ready for to-morrow. 

Thursday, October \2tJi. — A day as perfect as yester- 
day succeeded a clear cold night. We weighed anchor at 
5.15 a.m., and, retracing our course for a few miles, passed 
round the end of Saumarez Island, and entered the nar- 
row channel leading to Indian Reach. The greatest care 
is here necessary to avoid several sunken rocks, which 
have already proved fatal to many ships, a large German 
steamer having been wrecked as recently as last year. 
The smooth but treacherous surface of the channel re- 
flected sharply the cliffs and foliage, and its mirror-like 
stillness was only broken at rare intervals, by the sudden 
appearance of a seal in search of a fresh supply of air, or 



DISAPPOINTED TRADER. 1 37 

by the efforts, delayed until the very last moment, of a 
few steamer-ducks, gannets, or cormorants, to get out of 
our way. 

Having accomplished the passage of Indian Reach in 
safety, we were just passing Eden Harbor, when the cry 
of ' Canoe ahead ! ' was raised. A boat was seen paddling 
out towards us from behind Moreton Island, containing 
about half-a-dozen people, apparently armed with bows 
and arrows and spears, and provided with fishing-rods, 
which projected on either side. One man was standing 
up and waving, in a very excited manner, something 
which turned out ultimately to be a piece of cotton-waste. 
Our engines having been stopped, the canoe came along- 
side, and we beheld six wild-looking half-naked creatures 
— two men, three women, and a very small boy, who was 
crouching over a fire at the bottom of the boat. There 
were also four sharp, cheery-looking little dogs, rather like 
Esquimaux dogs, only smaller, with prick ears and curly 
tails, who were looking over the side and barking vigor- 
ously in response to the salutations of our pugs. One man 
had on a square robe of sea-otter skins, thrown over his 
shoulders, and laced together in front, two of the women 
wore sheepskins, and the rest of the party were absolutely 
naked. Their black hair was long and shaggy, and they 
all clamored loudly in harsh guttural tones, accompanied 
by violent gesticulations, for ' tabaco ' and ' galleta.' We 
got some ready for them, and also some beads, knives, 
and looking-glasses, but through some mistake they did 
not manage to get hold of our rope in time, and as our 
way carried us ahead they were left behind. The passage 
was narrow, and the current strong, and Tom was anxious 
to save the tide in the dangerous English Narrows. We 
could not, therefore, give them another chance of commu- 
nicating with us, and accordingly we went on our way, 
followed by what were, I have no doubt, the curses — not 
only deep, but loud — of the whole party, who indulged at 
the same time in the most furious and threatening ges- 



138 INTRICATE NAVIGATION. 

tures. I was quite sorry for their disappointment at los- 
ing their hoped-for luxuries, to say nothing of our own at 
missing the opportunity of bargaining for some more furs 
and curiosities. 

Shortly afterwards there were seen from the masthead 
crowds of natives among the trees armed with long spears, 
bows, and arrows, busily engaged, pushing off their canoes 
from their hiding-places in creeks and hollows ; so perhaps 
it was just as well we did not stop, or we might have been 
surrounded. Not far from here are the English Narrows, 
a passage which is a ticklish but interesting piece of navi- 
gation. A strong current prevails, and, to avoid a shoal, 
it is necessary at one point to steer so close to the west- 
ern shore that the bowsprit almost projects over the land, 
the branches of the trees almost sweep the rigging, and 
the rocks almost scrape the side of the vessel. Two men 
were placed at the wheel, as a matter of precaution, and 
we appeared to be steering straight for the shore, at full 
speed, till Tom suddenly gave the order ' Hard a port ! ' 
and the ' Sunbeam ' instantly flew round and rushed swift- 
ly past the dangerous spot into wider waters. It is just 
here that Captain Trivett was knocked off the bridge of 
his vessel by the boughs — a mishap he warned Tom 
against before we left England. 

Whilst in the Narrows we looked back, to see every- 
thing bright and cheerful, but ahead all was black and 
dismal : the sky and sun were obscured, the tops of the 
mountains hidden, and the valleys filled up with thick 
fog and clouds — all which seemed to indicate the approach 
of a storm of rain, although the glass was still very high. 
We went up South Reach and North Reach, in the Mes- 
sier Channel, till, just as we were off Liberta Bay, in lat. 
48 50' S., long. 74 25'. W., the blackest of the black 
clouds came suddenly down upon us, and descended upon 
the deck in a tremendous shower — not of rain, but of dust 
and ashes. Windows, hatches, and doors were shut as 
soon as we discovered the nature of this strange visitation, 



DUST-STORM. 



139 



and in about half an hour we were through the worst of 
it : whereupon dust-pans, brooms, and dusters came into 
great requisition. It took us completely by surprise, for 
we had no reason to expect anything of the sort. As- 
. suming the dust to be of volcanic origin, it must have 
traveled an immense distance ; the nearest volcano, as 
far as we know, being that of Corcovado, in the island of 
Chiloe, nearly 300 miles off. We had heard from Sir 
Woodbine Parish, and others at Buenos Ayres, of the 
terrible blinding dust-storms which occur there, causing 
utter darkness for a space of ten or fifteen minutes ; but 
Buenos Ayres is on the edge of a river, with hundreds 
and thousands of leagues of sandy plains behind it, the 
soil of which is only kept together by the roots of the 
wiry pampas grass. For this dust to reach the Mes- 
sier Channel, where we now are, it would have to sur- 
mount two chains of snowy mountains, six or seven 
thousand feet in height, and in many places hundreds of 
miles in width, and traverse a vast extent of country 
besides. 

The weather was still so fine, and the barometer so 
high — 30.52 inches — that Tom determined to go to sea 
to-day, instead of stopping at Hale Cove for the night, as 
we had originally intended. Directly we got through the 
English Narrows, therefore, all hands were busily engaged 
in once more sending up the square-yards, top-masts, &c, 
and in making ready for sea. Just before sunset, as we 
were quitting the narrow channels, the sun pierced through 
the clouds and lightened up the lonely landscape as well 
as the broad waters of the Pacific Ocean. Its surface was 
scarcely rippled by the gentle breeze that wafted us on 
our course ; the light of the setting sun rested, in soft 
and varied tints, on the fast-fading mountains and peaks; 
and thus, under the most favorable and encouraging cir- 
cumstances, we have fairly entered upon a new and im- 
portant section of our long voyage. 

Although perhaps I ought not to say so, I cannot help 



140 THE BROAD PACIFIC. 

admiring the manner in which Tom has piloted his yacht 
through the Straits, for it would do credit, not only to 
any amateur, but to a professional seaman. He has 
never hesitated or been at a loss for a moment, however 
intricate the part or complicated the directions ; but 
having thoroughly studied and mastered the subject be- 
forehand, he has been able to go steadily on at full speed 
the whole way. It has, however, been very fatiguing 
work for him, as he hardly ever left the bridge whilst we 
were under way. 

We steamed the whole distance from Cape Virgin to 
the Gulf of Peilas, 659 knots, in 76 hours, anchoring six 
times. This gives seven days' steaming of an average 
length of eleven hours each ; and as we stopped two or 
three hours, at different times, for Fuegians, photographs, 
and sketches, our average speed was nine and a half 
knots, though sometimes, when going with strong cur- 
rents, it was twelve or fourteen, and, when going against 
them, barely six knots. 

Just at dark we passed between Wager Island and 
Cheape Channel, where H.M.S. 'Wager,' commanded by 
Captain Cheape, was wrecked, and we spent the night in 
the Gulf of Pefias, almost becalmed. 

Friday, October i^th. — We ceased steaming at 7.30 
a.m., and made every effort throughout the rest of the 
day, by endless changes of sail, to catch each fleeting 
breath of wind. We did not, however, make much pro- 
gress, owing to the extreme lightness of the breeze. 

Sorry as we are to lose the scenery of the Straits, it is 
pleasant to find the weather getting gradually warmer, 
day by day, and to be able to regard the morning bath 
once more as a luxury instead of a terror. The change is 
also thoroughly appreciated by the various animals we 
have on board, especially the monkeys and parrots, who 
may now be seen sunning themselves in every warm cor- 
ner of the deck. In the Straits, though the sun was hot, 
there was always an icy feeling in the wind, owing to the 



A WHALE'S MOUTH. 141 

presence of enormous masses of snow and ice on every 
side. 

Saturday, October 14th. — Light winds and calms pre- 
vailed the whole day. About 2 p.m. we were off the 
island of Socorro. In the afternoon a large shoal of 
'whales came round the yacht. I was below when they 
first made their appearance, and when I came on deck 
they were spouting up great jets of water in all directions, 
suggestive of the fountains at the Crystal Palace. We 
were lying so still that they did not seem to be in the 
least afraid of us, and came quite close, swimming along- 
side, round us, across our bows, and even diving down 
under our keel. There was a shoal of small fish about, 
and the whales, most of which were about fifty or sixty 
feet in length, constantly opened their huge pink whale- 
bone-fringed mouths so wide that we could see right down 
their capacious throats. The children were especially 
delighted with this performance, and baby has learned 
quite a new trick. When asked, ' What do the whales 
do ? ' she opens her mouth as wide as she can, stretches 
out her arms to their fullest extent, then blows, and fin- 
ishes up with a look round for applause. 

Soon after 8 p.m. the wind completely died away, 
and, fearing further detention, we once more got up 
steam. 

Sunday, October i$t/i. — Still calm. We had the litany 
and hymns at 1 1 a.m. ; prayers and hymns and a sermon 
at 5 p.m. In the course of the afternoon we were again 
surrounded by a shoal of whales. We passed the island 
of Chiloe to-day, where it always rains, and where the 
vegetation is proportionately dense and luxuriant. It is 
inhabited by a tribe of peculiarly gentle Indians, who till 
the ground, and who are said to be kind to strangers 
thrown amongst them. Darwin and Byron speak well of 
the island and its inhabitants, who are probably more 
civilized since their time, for a steamer now runs regularly 
once a week from Valparaiso to San Carlos and back 



142 



BIRD-FISHING. 



for garden produce. The potato is indigenous to the 
island. 

Tuesday, October \Jth. — At 6 a.m., there being still no 
wind, Tom, in despair of ever reaching our destination 
under sail alone, again ordered steam to be raised. Two 
hours later a nice sailing breeze sprang up ; but we had 
been so often disappointed that we determined to continue 
steaming. Just before sunset we saw the island of Mocha 




Catching Cape-Pigeons in the Gulf of Pefias. 



in the distance. It is said to have been inhabited at one 
time by herds of wild horses and hogs, but I think they 
have now become extinct. 

One of our principal amusements during the calm 
weather has been to fish for cape-pigeons, cape-hens, gulls, 
and albatrosses, with a hook and line. We have caught a 
good many in this way, and several entangled themselves 
in the threads left floating for the purpose over the stern. 
The cape-pigeons were so tame that they came almost 
on board, and numbers of them were caught in butterfly- 
nets. Their plumage is not unlike grebe, and I mean to 
have some muffs and trimmines for the children made 



BIRD-SKINNING. 



H3 



out of it. Allen, the coxswain of the gig, skins them 
very well, having had some lessons from Ward before 
we left England. I want very much to catch an alba- 
tross, in order to have it skinned, and to make tobacco- 
pouches of its feet and pipe-stems of the wing-bones, for 
presents. 



CHAPTER X. 

CHILI. 

Sunbeam of summer, oh, what is like thee? 
Hope of the wilderness, joy of the sea. 

Wednesday, October iSt/i. — At 3.30 a.m. we were close 
to the land lying south of the Bay of Lota ; at 4 a.m. the 
engines were stopped on account of the mist ; and at 6 a.m. 
we began to go slowly ahead again, though it was still not 
very easy to make out the distance and bearing of the 
coast. The passage into the bay, between the island of 
Santa Maria and Lavapie Point, is narrow and difficult, 
and abounds with sunken rocks and other hidden dangers, 
not yet fully surveyed. Tom said it was the most ardu- 
ous piece of navigation he ever undertook on a misty 
morning ; but happily he accomplished it successfully. 
Just as he entered the sun broke through the mist, dis- 
playing a beautiful bay, surrounded on three sides by 
well-wooded hills, and sheltered from all winds except the 
north. One corner is completely occupied by the huge 
establishment belonging to Madame Cousiiio, consisting 
of coal-mines, enormous smelting-works, and extensive 
potteries. The hill just at the back is completely bare of 
vegetation, which has all been poisoned by the sulphurous 
vapors from the furnaces. This spot, from its contiguity 
to the works, has been selected as the site of a village for 
the accommodation of the numerous laborers and their 
families. It is therefore to be hoped that sulphur fumes 
are not as injurious to animal as they evidently are to 
vegetable life. As we drew nearer to the shore we could 
distinguish Madame Cousifio's house, in the midst of a 

144 



AN ARTIFICIAL PARADISE. 145 

park on the summit of a hill, and surrounded on all sides 
by beautiful gardens. Every prominent point had a 
little summer-house perched upon it, and some of the 
trees had circular seats built round their trunks half-way 
up, approached by spiral staircases, and thatched like 
wigwams. The general aspect of the coast, which is a 
combination of rich red earth, granite cliffs, and trees to 
the water's edge, is very like that of Cornwall and Devon- 
shire. 

We had scarcely dropped our anchor before the cap- 
tain of the port came on board, and told us we were too 
far from the shore to coal, which was our special object 
in coming here; so up went the anchor again, and we 
steamed a few hundred yards farther in, and then let go 
close to the shore, in deep water Captain Moller waited to 
go ashore with us, introduced our steward to the butcher 
and postmaster of the place, and then accompanied us 
to Madame Cousino's gardens. 

It was a steep climb up the hill, but we were well re- 
warded for our labor. Tended by over a hundred men, 
whose efforts are directed by highly paid and thoroughly 
experienced Scotch gardeners, these grounds contain a 
collection of plants from all the four quarters of the globe, 
and from New Zealand, Polynesia, and Australia. Amid 
them were scattered all kinds of fantastic grottoes, foun- 
tains, statues, and ferneries ; flights of steps, leading down- 
wards to the beach, and upwards to sylvan nooks ; ar- 
cades, arched over with bamboos, and containing trellis- 
work from Derbyshire, and Minton tiles from Stafford- 
shire ; seats of all sorts and shapes, under trees, in trees, 
and over trees ; besides summer-houses and pagodas, at 
every corner where there was a pretty view over land or 
sea. 

One of the heads of the establishment, a great friend 

of Madame Cousino's, was unfortunately very ill, and as 

she was nursing him, she could not come out to see us ; 

but she kindly gave orders to her gardener to send some 

10 



146 COPPER MINES. 

cut flowers and some ferns on board the yacht, to decorate 
the saloon ; and as she was unable to invite us to lunch- 
eon at the big house, she sent some champagne and re- 
freshments down to the Casa de la Administracion, where 
we were most hospitably entertained. She has had the 
latter place comfortably fitted up for the use of the prin- 
cipal employes on the works, and has provided it with a 
billiard-table, a very fair library, and several spare bed- 
rooms for the accommodation of visitors. 

After luncheon we went to see the copper-smelting 
works, which were very interesting. The manager walked 
through with us, and explained the processes very clearly. 
He could tell at once, on taking up a piece of rough ore, 
fresh from the mine, what percentage of copper or iron it 
contained, the amount varying from ten to seventy-five 
per cent, of the gross weight. The furnaces are kept burn- 
ing night and day, and are worked by three gangs of 
men ; and the quantity of copper produced annually is 
enormous. In fact, three parts of the copper used in 
Europe comes from here. The ore is brought from various 
parts of Chili and Peru, generally in Madame Cousino's 
ships ; and coal is found in such abundance, and so near 
the surface, that the operation of smelting is a profitable 
one. Our afternoon, spent amid smoke, and heat, and 
dirt, and half-naked workmen, manipulating with dexter- 
ous skill the glowing streams of molten ore, was a great 
contrast to our morning ramble. 

Having seen the works, and received a curious and in- 
teresting collection of copper ore, as a remembrance of 
our visit, we started in a little car, lined with crimson 
cloth, and drawn by a locomotive, to visit the various 
coal-mines. First we went through the park, and then 
along a valley near the sea, full of wild flowers and ferns, 
and trees festooned with ' copigue,' the Chilian name for 
a creeper which is a specialty of this country, and which 
imparts a character of its own to the landscape during 
the month of May, when its wreaths of scarlet, cherry, or 






COAL-PITS. 



147 



pink flowers are in full bloom. We went to the mouths 
of three coal-pits, and looked down into their grimy 
depths, but did not descend, as it would have occupied 
too much time. They are mostly about 1,000 yards in 
depth, and extend for some distance under the sea. 

We next visited a point of land whence we could see 
an island which closely resembles St. Michael's Mount. 
It is quite uninhabited, except by a few wild goats and 
rabbits. The sea-shore is lined with trees to the water's 
edge, and there are many bold rocks and fine white sandy 
caves in different parts of it. Some boats were drawn up 
high and dry on the beach, along which several pictur- 
esque-looking groups of shell-fish collectors were scattered. 
The mussels that are found here are enormous — from five 
to eight inches in length — and they, together with cockles 
and limpets, form a staple article of food. 

A steam-launch had been sent to meet us, but it could 
not get near enough to the shore for us to embark. A 
rickety, leaky small boat, half full of water, was therefore, 
after some delay, procured, and in this we were sculled 
out, two by two, till the whole party were safely on board. 
Outside there was quite a swell, and a north wind and 
rain are prophesied for to-morrow. Mr. Mackay returned 
with us to the yacht, and staid to dinner. Before he 
left, the prognostications of bad weather were to some 
extent justified ; for the wind changed, and rain, the first 
we have felt for some time, began to fall. 

Thursday, October \gth. — We have been persuaded by 
our friends here to try and see a little more of the interior 
of Chili than we should do if we were to carry out our 
original intention of going on to Valparaiso in the yacht, 
and then merely making an excursion to Santiago from 
that place. We have therefore arranged to proceed at 
once overland to Santiago, by a route which will enable 
us to see something of the Cordillera of the Andes, to 
have a peep at the Araucanian Indians on the frontier, 
and to visit the baths of Cauquenes. Tom, however,, djies 



""" 



148 SLIDING AND JOLTING. 

not like to leave the yacht, and has decided to take her 
up to Valparaiso, and then come on to Santiago, and 
meet us in about five or six days' time. The anchor was 
accordingly hove short, and the mizzen hoisted, when we 
landed this morning, in a drenching rain. 

A coach runs daily from Lota to Concepcion, the first 
stage of our journey, but a special vehicle was engaged for 
our accommodation, and a curious affair it was to look at. 
It seemed to be simply a huge wooden box, suspended, by 
means of thick leather straps, from C springs, without 
windows or doors, but provided with two long, narrow 
openings, through which you squeezed yourself in or out, 
and which could be closed at pleasure by roll-up leather 
blinds. Inside, it was roomy, well-padded, and comfort- 
able. 

The rain had made the road terribly greasy, and several 
times the carriage slued half-way round and slid four or 
five feet sideways down the hill, causing us to hold on, in 
expectation of a spill. At last we reached the bottom in 
safety, and crossing a small river, emerged upon the sea- 
shore at Playa Negra, or Black Beach, along which we 
drove for some distance through the deep, loose sand, the 
horses being up to their fetlocks in water most of the time. 
Then we forded another little river, and leaving the beach, 
proceeded up a steep road, not more than three yards 
wide, with a ditch on one side and a steep precipice on 
the other, to the little village of Coronel, overlooking the 
bay of the same name. While the horses were being 
changed, we walked down to the little wooden pier, on 
the sea-shore, and saw the-' Sunbeam ' just coming out of 
Lota Bay. 

Drawn up by the side of the pier was a picturesque- 
looking market-boat, full of many sorts of vegetables, and 
little piles of sea-eggs, with their spines removed, and 
neatly tied up with rushes in parcels of three. The 
people seemed to enjoy them raw, in which state they are 
considered to be most nutritious ; and when roasted in 



SEA -EGG OMELE ES. 



149 



their shells, or made into omelets, they are a favorite 
article of food with all classes. Coronel is a great coaling 
station, and the bay, which is surrounded by tall chimneys, 
shafts, and piers, connected with the mines, was full of 
steamers and colliers. 

Our road now ran for some time through undulating 
pasture-land, in which were many large trees, the scene 
resembling a vast park. Masses of scarlet verbena, yellow 
calceolaria, and white heath grew on all sides, while the 
numerous myrtle, mimosa, and other bushes were en- 
twined with orange-colored nasturtiums, and a little scar- 
let tropseolum, with a blue edge, whose name I forget. 
Beneath the trees the ground was thickly carpeted with 
adiantum fern. The road over which we traveled was of 
the worst description, and our luncheon was eaten with no 
small difficulty, but with a considerable amount of merri- 
ment. Once, when we jolted into an unusually big hole, 
the whole of our provisions, basket and all, made a sudden 
plunge towards one side of the coach, and very nearly 
escaped us altogether. 

Half-way between Coronel and Concepcion, we met the 
return stage-coach, crowded with passengers, and looking 
as if it had just come out of the South Kensington Museum 
or Madame Tussaud's, or like the pictures of a coach of 
Queen Elizabeth's time. It was a long, low vehicle, with 
unglazed windows all round it, painted bright scarlet, 
decorated with brilliant devices on every panel, and sus- 
pended, like our own, by means of innumerable leather 
straps, from huge C springs. The seats on either side held 
three passengers, and there was a stool in the middle, like 
the one in the Lord Mayor's coach, on which four people 
sat, back to back. 

Soon after we drew up to rest the horses at a little 
posada, kept by two Germans, called ' Half-way House,' 
and seven miles more brought us to a rich and well-culti- 
vated farm belonging to Mr. Hermann, where we stopped 
to chano-e horses. 



150 A A' UNFORTUNATE MONARCH. 

It was six o'clock in the evening when we reached the 
Bio-Bio, a wide shallow river, at the entrance of the town 
of Concepcion ; it had to be crossed in a ferry-boat, 
carriage and all, and as it was after hours, we had some 
difficulty in finding any one to take us over. At last, in 
consideration of a little extra pay, six men consented to 
undertake the job, and having set a square-sail, to keep 
us from being carried down the river by the current, they 
punted us overwith long poles. Sometimes there was nine 
feet of water beneath us, but oftener not more than four 
or five. The boat could not get close to the opposite shore, 
and it was a great business to get the carriage out and 
the horses harnessed, in some eighteen inches of water. 
First the carriage stuck in the sand, and then the horses 
refused to move, but after a great deal of splashing, and 
an immense display of energy in the way of pulling, jerk- 
ing, shrieking, shouting — and, I am afraid, swearing — we 
reached the bank, emerged from the water, struggled 
through some boggy ground, and were taken at full gal- 
lop through the streets of the town, until we reached the 
Hotel Comercio, where we found comfortable rooms and 
a nice little dinner awaiting us. 

This was all very well, as far as it went, but when we 
came to inquire about our onward route we were dis- 
appointed to learn that the line to Angol was closed, 
owing to the breaking down of a bridge, and would re- 
main so until next month, and that, with the exception 
of a contractor's train, which runs only once a week, there 
was nothing by which we could travel. ■ To-morrow is 
Friday,' added Monsieur Letellier, ' and that is so near 
Monday, what can Madame do better than wait here till 
then ? ' By way of consolation, he informed us that 
there were no Indians now at Angol, as the Araucanian* 

* I have lately received a letter from a friend in Paris, who says : 
' Strange to tell, it is only a few days ago that poor Orelie Antoine I., 
ex-King of Araucania, died at Bordeaux, in a hospital. He reigned 
for some years, and then made war upon Chili, which gave him a 



EARTHQ UAKES. 1 5 1 

Indians had recently all been driven farther back from 
the frontier by the Chilenos, but that, if we were still 
bent on trying to get there, we could go by boat as far as 
Nacimiento, where we might, with some difficulty, pro- 
cure a carriage. The river just now, however, is so low 
that the boat frequently gets aground, and remains for 
two or three days ; therefore, taking everything into con- 
sideration, we have decided to abandon this part of our 
programme, for otherwise we shall not reach Santiago in 
time. In any case, the journey will be a much longer one 
than we expected. 

Friday, October 20th. — We went out for a short stroll 
round the Plaza before breakfast, which meal was scarcely 
over when Mr. Mackay arrived in a carriage, and took us 
off to see what there was to see in the town. The Plaza 
was full of bright-looking flower-beds, in which were su- 
perb roses, and many English flowers, shaded by oranges, 
pomegranates, and deutzias. Each plot belongs to one 
of the principal families in the town, and great emulation 
is displayed as to whose little garden shall be in the best 
order and contain the finest collection of plants and 
flowers. 

Concepcion has suffered, and still suffers, much from 
earthquakes. The existing town is only thirty-five years 
old. The houses are all one story high only, and the 
streets, or rather roads, between them are wide, in order 
to afford the inhabitants a chance of escape, should their 
dwellings be thrown down by a sudden shock. In sum- 
mer everybody rushes out into the street, no matter what 
hour of the day or night it may be, as soon as the first 
symptoms of an earthquake are felt ; but during the win- 
warm reception ; even captured his Majesty and sent him back to his 
native land. I met him here a few years ago, surrounded by a small 
court, which treated him with great deference. I found him a digni- 
fied, intelligent sovereign. He attempted to return to his kingdom, 
but was captured on the high seas by a Brazilian cruiser, and sent 
back to France to die a miserable death.' 



152 



AN ENGLISH HOME IN CHILI. 



ter, when the shocks are never so severe, the alarm caused 
is not so great. The old town was about two miles dis- 
tant from the present site, near a place now called Pinco, 
'but after being demolished in the ordinary way, an im, 
mense wave rolled up and completely destroyed all traces 
of its existence. 

We drove out to Puchacai, Mr. Mackay's hacienda, a 
pretty little thatched cottage, surrounded by a veranda, 
in the midst of a garden, where laburnums and lilacs 
bloom side by side with orange-trees and pomegranates. 
Round the garden are groves of shady English oaks (the 
first we have seen since leaving home) and Norfolk Island 
pines, the effect of the whole scene being strangely sug- 
gestive of the idea that a charming little bit of English 
rural scenery has in some mysterious manner been trans- 
ported to this out-of-the-way spot in Chili. The interior 
of the house, which is simply but tastefully furnished, and 
at the time of our visit was full of fresh flowers, arranged 
with an artistic eye to color, bears the same indescriba- 
ble homelike air. We were kindly received and regaled 
with luncheon, including, amongst other good things, 
fried pesca-reye (king of fish), deservedly so called. 

In the afternoon we strolled about the garden, and 
looked at the farm and stable, and were shown the proba- 
ble winner of one of the prizes at the forthcoming race- 
meeting. In the cottages on the estate some specimens 
of Miniaca lace were offered to us — a lace made by most 
of the peasants in this part of the country. It varies con- 
siderably in quality, from the coarse kind, used for cover- 
ing furniture, to the finest description, used for personal 
adornment. It is very cheap, wears forever, and strongly 
resembles the torchon lace, now so fashionable in Paris and 
London for trimming petticoats and children's frocks. 
The women also spin, dye, and weave the wool from the 
fleece of their own sheep into the bright-colored ponchos 
universally worn, winter and summer, by the men in this 
country. These ponchos are not made of nearly such 



A CHILIAN RAIL IV A Y. 



*53 



good material as those used in the Argentine Republic, 
but they are considerably gayer and more picturesque in 
appearance. 

After dinner, there was nothing to do except to stroll 
about the town and buy photographs. They are ex- 
tremely good in Chili — both views and portraits — but pro- 
portionately dear, the price being double what would be 
charged in London or Paris for the same thing. 

Saturday, October 2\st. — Having wished good -by to 
Mr. Mackay, and taken our seats in the train for Linares, 
we were now fairly launched on our own resources in a 
strange country, I being the only one of the party who 
could speak even a little Spanish. At San Romde we 
stopped half an hour to allow the train from Chilian to 
pass. Most of the passengers took the opportunity of 
breakfasting, but as we were not hungry we occupied the 
time in having a chat with the engine-driver, a very intel- 
ligent Canadian. He told us that, as it happened, we 
might have gone to Angol to-day after all, as a special car 
and engine were going there to take a doctor to see a pa- 
tient, returning early to-morrow morning. 

The railroad runs alongside the Bio-Bio all the way to 
San Romde. On either bank are low wooded hills, on 
whose sides vines are cultivated in considerable quanti- 
ties. The wild flowers grow luxuriantly everywhere : cal- 
ceolarias, especially, in huge bushes of golden bloom, two 
or three feet high. At San Romde we left the river, and 
traveled through a pretty and well-cultivated country to 
Chilian, which derives its name from an Indian word, sig- 
nifying ' saddle of the sun,' and is so called from the fact 
that the sun shines upon it through a saddle-shaped pass 
in the chain of the Andes. 

Like Concepcion, the existing town has been recently 
built at a distance of about a mile from the remains of the 
old place of the same name, which was overthrown by an 
earthquake about thirty years ago. The destruction was, 
however, not so complete as in the case of Concepcion, 



J 54 



A BAD ACCIDENT. 



and some few of the better-conditioned houses are still in- 
habited by very poor people, though the walls have great 
cracks in them from top to bottom, and they are other- 
wise in a deplorable state. A large cattle and horse 
market is held at Chilian every Saturday, and it is said 
that, on these occasions, 100,000 dollars frequently change 
hands in the course of the morning, in the open market- 
place. All the business of the day was over by the time 
we got there, and there was nothing to be seen but a few 
stray beasts and quaint bullock-carts,' and some peasants 
selling refreshments, Miniaca lace, and other trifles. In 
several of the old-fashioned shops on the Plaza there were 
curious-looking stirrups, bits, spurs, and other horse-gear, 
all made of solid silver, roughly worked by the Indians 
themselves. 

Having had our baths, we returned to the hotel, where 
we found dinner laid out in my bed-room, which happened 
to be the largest, for our host did not approve of our din- 
ing at the table-d'hote, as we should have preferred to do. 
He gave us an excellent dinner, with good wine, and at- 
tended to us most assiduously himself. 

While the gentlemen were smoking, I went to see a 
poor engine-driver who had met with a bad accident, and 
who was lying at this hotel. He is a fine healthy-looking 
Englishman, and he told me that, until this misfortune, 
he had never known a day's illness in his life. It seems 
that, at four o'clock in the afternoon of this day week, he 
was sent off with a special engine to convey an important 
message. Something going wrong during the journey, he 
slackened speed, and, in stepping off the engine to see 
what was the matter, his foot slipped, and the wheel of the 
tender went over it. He had no one with him who could 
manage the engine alone, so he was obliged to get up 
again, and endeavored to struggle on to Talca ; but after 
going a few miles farther, the engine suddenly ran off the 
track, at a part of the unfinished line that had not yet 
been sufficiently ballasted. They could not get it on 



NO BRIDGES. I 55 

again unaided, and one of the men had to start off and 
walk many miles before he could procure assistance. Al- 
together, poor Clarke underwent forty-two hours of intense 
agony from the time of the accident until he received any 
medical attention. In spite of this he is now doing well ; 
and though the foot, which is in a bath of carbolic acid 
and water, looks very bad, he is in great spirits, because 
the three local doctors, in consultation, have decided that 
amputation will not be necessary. He spoke in the high- 
est terms of the kindness of our French host and his 
Spanish wife, the latter of whom, he says, has nursed him 
like a mother. He certainly has the one large room in the 
house, and when I saw him his bed was comfortably made 
and arranged, flowers and fruit were on a table by his side, 
and everything looked as neat and snug as possible. It 
was a treat to him to see some one fresh from the old 
country, and to hear all the news, and our voyage ap- 
peared to interest him greatly. While I was with him one 
of his friends came in, who remembered me quite well, 
and who knew one or two people with whom we are ac- 
quainted, including the manager of Messrs. Bowdler and 
Chaffers' yard, where the ' Sunbeam ' was built. 

Sunday, October 22a 1 . — Though it was Sunday, we had 
no choice but to travel on, or we should not have been 
able to start until Tuesday. We were therefore up at five 
o'clock, and at the station before seven. From San Car- 
los, where we arrived at 8.15 a.m., we started for Linares, 
which was reached a couple of hours later. It is a much 
smaller town than Chilian, but is built exactly on the 
same plan — Plaza, cathedral, and all. To-day the streets 
were crowded with men on horseback, who had brought 
their wives in, seated pillion-fashion on the crupper behind 
them, to attend mass. 

Our road lay through a rich country, intersected by 
small rivers, with the distant snowy chain of the Andes 
as a background, and through thickly planted groves of 
poplars, growing in long shady avenues, fragrant with 



156 A RICH COUNTRY. 

perfume from the magnificent roses which blossomed be- 
neath their shade. In the course of our four hours' drive, 
we crossed a great many streams, in some of which the 
water was deep enough to come in at the bottom of the 
carriage, and cause us to tuck ourselves up on the seats ; 
there was always a little pleasing excitement and doubt, 
as we approached one of these rivulets, as to whether we 
were to be inundated or not. We met a good many people 
riding and walking about in their holiday clothes, and at 
all the cabarets groups of talkers, drinkers, and players 
were assembled. 

The cottages we have seen by the roadside have been 
picturesque but wretched-looking edifices, generally com- 
posed of the branches of trees stuck in the ground, plastered 
with mud and thatched with reeds. Two outhouses, or 
arbors, consisting of a few posts and sticks, fastened to- 
gether and overgrown with roses and other flowers, serve 
respectively as a cool sitting-room and a kitchen, the 
oven being invariably built on the ground outside the 
latter, for the sake of coolness. The women, when young, 
are singularly good-looking, with dark complexions, bright 
eyes, and luxuriant tresses, which they wear in two plaits, 
hanging down their backs far below the waist. The men 
are also, as a rule, fine-looking. In fact, the land is good, 
and everybody and everything looks prosperous. The 
beasts are up to their knees in rich pasture, are fat and 
sleek, and lie down to chew the cud of contentment, in- 
stead of searching anxiously for a scanty sustenance. 
The horses are well fed, and their coats are fine and glossy, 
and the sheep, pigs, and other animals are in equally good 
condition. It is therefore a cheery country to travel 
through, and at this spring-time of the year one sees it in 
its highest perfection. 

Before reaching Talca we had to cross the Maule, a 
wide, deep river, with a swift current. The carriage was 
first put on board a large flat-bottomed boat, into which 
the horses then jumped, one by one, the last to embark 



A DISTURBING SERENADE. 



157 



tumbling down and rolling among the legs of the others. 
With a large oar the boat was steered across the stream, 
down which it drifted about 200 yards into shallow water, 
where the boatmen jumped out and towed us to a con- 
venient landing-place. Here we found several people 
waiting to be ferried over. A troop of mules having been 
driven into the water, which they seemed rather to enjoy, 
swam across safely, though they were carried some dis- 
tance down the river. 

About five o'clock we arrived at Talca, and went 
straight to the Hotel Colon, kept by Gassaroni. Every 
Italian who starts a hotel in this part of the world calls 
it, as a matter of course, ' The Columbus Hotel ; ' for they 
are very anxious to claim the great navigator as a country- 
man, though the Spaniards dispute their right to do so, 
on the ground that Genoa, where he was really born, was 
at that time an independent state. While we were wait- 
ing for dinner we walked about the town, which so ex- 
actly resembles Concepcion and Chilian in the arrangement 
of its streets, buildings, and trees, that I doubt whether 
any one familiar with the three places could tell imme- 
diately which town he was in, if transported suddenly to 
the middle of the Plaza, though I believe Talca is rather 
the largest. It still retains its old Indian name, meaning, 
'thunder,' doubtless on account of the frequency and 
violence of the thunder-storms by which it is visited. 

Monday, October 23d. — Soon after midnight I was 
aroused by a great noise. At first I thought I was dream- 
ing, but a very brief reflection convinced me of the exist- 
ence of an energetically played big-drum, somewhere in 
the immediate neighborhood of my bed-room. I at once 
got up, and peeping through the window in the door, saw 
a military band of twenty-five performers, standing on the 
other side of the courtyard, blowing and hitting their hard- 
est. It must be confessed that they played well, and that 
their selection of music was good, but it was, nevertheless, 
rather annoying, after a long and fatiguing day, and with 



1 5 .8 A PATRIOTIC CHILIAN. 

the prospect of an early start, to be kept awake until half- 
past three in the morning, while they serenaded and toast- 
ed the prima donna, and each of the other members of the 
theatrical company who are staying here. The noise was, 
of course, increased by the reverberation from the walls of 
the courtyard, and finding it impossible to sleep, I aban- 
doned the attempt, and took to writing instead. At last 
the welcome notes of the Chilian national air gave me 
hope that the entertainment was over for the night — or 
rather morning — and soon afterwards all was once more 
quiet. 

We left Talca by the 7.30 train, Mr. Budge, who had 
business at Curico, accompanying us. All the engines 
and rolling stock this side of Santiago are of American 
make and pattern. Mr. Budge had secured one of the 
long cars, with a passage down the center, and a saloon 
at each end, for us, so we were very comfortable, and he 
told us a great deal about the country as we went along. 
Like all Chilenos, he is very patriotic, and is especially 
proud of the financial stability of his country. He often 
said, ' If English people would only invest their money 
here, instead of in Peru or the Argentine Republic, they 
would get eight per cent, on good security.' We heard 
the same thing from many other sources ; and it certainly 
does seem that this country is the most settled, and the 
least liable to be disturbed by revolutions, of any in South 
America. At Curico* we breakfasted at a little restaurant 
on Chilian dishes and the wine of the country. The latter 
is excellent and of various kinds, but it is so cheap that 
none of the innkeepers can, be persuaded to supply it to 
travelers, whose only chance of tasting it, therefore, is at 
some small inn. 

Mr. Budge left us at Pelequen, the next station to San 
Fernando, having put us in charge of the conductor, who 



* An Indian name, signifying ' black waters,' having reference to 
the mineral springs in the neighboring mountains. 



MINERAL BATHS. 



159 



promised to see after us at Cauquenes, but who wofully 
betrayed his trust. There was no regular station at the 
latter place, but as the train stopped, and we saw ' Bains 
de Cauquenes ' on a hotel close by, we jumped out just 
in time to see it go on again. Luckily the other pas- 
sengers were kind enough to interest themselves on our 
behalf, and shrieked and hallooed to such good purpose 
that the engine was once more brought to a standstill, 
and our luggage was put out. Half a dozen little boys 
carried it to the inn, where I had to explain to the patron, 
in my best Spanish, that we wanted a carriage to go to the 
baths, seven leagues off. In a wonderfully short space of 
time four good horses were harnessed to a queer sort of 
vehicle, which held four inside and one out, besides the 
driver, and which had to be entered by means of a ladder. 
Having all packed in, and paid our fare beforehand, we 
were rattled off at a merry 'pace towards the Andes. The 
road went up and down and round about, and crossed 
many rivers, but was fairly good throughout. We changed 
once at a large hacienda, where a man went into a large 
yard, containing about sixty horses, and dexterously las- 
soed the particular four required for our use. Several 
horsemen were waiting about, and I looked at their sad- 
dles, which were made of a dozen or more sheepskins, laid 
one on the top of the other, forming a soft seat to ride in 
by day and a comfortable bed to sleep on at night. 

Early in the afternoon we saw some buildings in the 
distance, which we rightly guessed to be the baths, and 
soon afterwards we passed in at the entrance gate of the 
establishment, by the side of which was a rock with the 
word ' Welcome ' painted upon its face. The whole dis- 
tance from the station was twenty-three miles, which we 
had accomplished in a little over two hours. Driving be- 
tween hedgerows of roses in full bloom, we were not long 
in reaching the door of the hotel, where we were received 
by the proprietor. He told us he was very full, but he 
managed to find us some small rooms, and then conducted 



160 A MUCH-TEASED MONKEY. 

us to the luxuriously fitted loathing establishment. After 
this came the table-d'hote, to which about seventy sat 
down, though many of the visitors were dining in their own 
rooms. In the evening we walked about the garden and 
chatted with several people, who all seemed to have heard 
of us and our voyage, and to be anxious to know what we 
thought of the Straits. We saw some English papers too, 
which was a great treat, though there did not seem to be 
much news in them. 

T?iesday, October 2\th. — -This is a wonderful place, built 
entirely of wood. The center part is a square, seventy 
yards in extent, surrounded by a single row of one-storied 
rooms, with doors opening into the courtyard, and windows 
looking over the river or up into the mountains. In the 
middle of the square are a pavilion containing two billiard- 
tables, a boot-blacking arbor, covered with white and yel- 
low 'jessamine and scarlet and cream-colored honeysuckle, 
plenty of flower-beds, full of roses and orange-trees, and a 
monkey on a pole, who must, poor creature, have a sorry 
life of it, as it is his business to afford amusement to all 
the visitors to the baths. He is very good-tempered, does 
several tricks, and is tormented ' from early dawn to dewy 
eve.' I remonstrated with our host on his behalf ; but he 
merely shrugged his shoulders. and said, ' Mais il faut que 
le monde se divertisse, Madame.' From the center square, 
marble steps lead to a large hall, with marble baths on 
either side, for ladies and gentlemen respectively. A few 
steps farther bring one to a delightful swimming-bath, 
about forty feet square, filled with tepid water. The 
water, as it springs from the rock, is boiling hot, and con- 
tains, I believe, a good deal of magnesia and other salts, 
beneficial in cases of rheumatism and gout ; but the high 
temperature of the water makes the air very muggy, and 
we all found the place relaxing, though perhaps it was be- 
cause we indulged too freely in the baths, which are a 
great temptation. 

In the afternoon we went for a ride, to see a cele- 



CHARACTERISTIC VEGETATION. 161 

brated view of the Andes. Unfortunately it was rather 
misty, but we could see enough to enable us to imagine 
the rest. Some condors were soaring round the rocky 
peaks, and the landscape, though well clothed with vege- 
tation, had a weird, dreary character of its own, partly 
due to the quantity of large cacti that grew in every nook 
and corner, singly, or in groups of ten or twelve, to the 
height of twenty or thirty feet. Though they say it 
hardly ever rains in Chili, a heavy shower fell this after- 
noon, and our landlord thoughtfully sent a boy on horse- 
back after us with umbrellas. 

Wednesday, October 2^th. — The bath was so delightful 
this morning, that we felt quite sorry it was to be our 
last. One could very well spend a week or two here, and 
find plenty to do in the way of excursions into the valleys 
of the Andes, which look most inviting in the distance. 

At half-past ten we set out on our return journey to 
the railway, changing horses at the same place where we 
had stopped at coming up, and which we reached half an 
hour before the train was due ; when it arrived we were 
allowed to get in with our belongings in rather a less hur- 
ried fashion than we had alighted. Luncheon was pro- 
cured at Rancagua, and we finally reached Santiago at 
about 4.50 p.m. No sooner had we got fairly into the 
station than the car was invaded by a crowd of porters 
touting for employment. They are all dressed in white, 
and wear red caps, on which is a brass number, by means 
of which they are easily recognized. The landlord from 
the Hotel Ingles, M. Tellier, met us, and we at once 
drove off, leaving our luggage to follow, in charge of one 
of the red-capped gentlemen. The drive from the station 
was along the Alameda, on either side of which were 
many fine houses ; but the road was ill-paved and shaky 
as usual. 

The Grand Hotel, which used to be considered the 
best in South America, is now shut up, the company who 
owned it having recently failed ; so all the smaller hotels, 
11 



1 6 2 DISAPPOINTMENT. 

none of which are very good, are crowded to overflowing. 
The Hotel Ingles is considered the best, though I cannot 
say much in its favor. The rooms are good, but the 
situation is noisy, being at the corner of two streets; the 
servants are attentive, but the cuisine and arrangements 
are bad. Independently of all this, we have great reason 
to complain of the conduct of the landlord, for my first 
question, as soon as he had introduced himself, was, of 
course, ' Have Mr. and Miss Brassey arrived ? ' ' Yes, 
Madame, and went away this morning.' 'What! and 
left no letter?' 'No; but Monsieur returns to-morrow.' 
Imagine my surprise and disappointment ! But there 
was nothing to be done but to go to the hotel and wait 
patiently. We afterwards found that Tom had left a 
long letter, and that he had never said a word about return- 
ing. The wretched man would not give me the letter, 
because he thought he could detain us, and he never sent 
the telegram I handed to him to forward to Tom at once, 
asking for an answer. 

Our luggage arrived just in time to enable us to dress 
for the second table-d'hote at six o'clock, after which we 
went for a walk through some arcades, paved with mar- 
ble, and full of fine shops, past the Grand Hotel, which 
was situated at the end of the Alameda, and is built over 
an arcade of shops. It is a handsome building, and must 
command a fine view. The cathedral and the arch- 
bishop's palace, large but rather dull-looking brick build- 
ings, are close by. The surrounding gardens looked 
pretty by gaslight, and the scent of roses pervaded the 
evening; air. 






CHAPTER XL 

SANTIAGO AND VALPARAISO. 

Gems of the changing autumn, how beautiful you are, 
Shining from your glassy stems, like many a golden star ! 

Thursday, October 26th. — Our kind hostess at Lota 
had given us a letter of introduction to her manager at 
Santiago, who called this morning to inquire what ar- 
rangements he could make which would be most agree- 
able to us during our stay. She had also given orders 
that her carriages and horses should be placed at our dis- 
posal, and at about ten o'clock we all started in an 
open break, drawn by a pair of good-looking half-bred 
brown horses, bigger than any we had seen before in this 
country. 

We went first to the Compania, a large open square, 
planted with flowers, the site of the old Jesuit Church, 
which was burned down on December 8th, 1863. Well 
known as the story is, I may here recall the tragic details, 
standing on the very spot where they took place. It was 
the Feast of the Virgin, and the church was densely 
crowded with a congregation composed almost entirely of 
women, principally young, many of whom were servant- 
girls. Some of the draperies used in the decoration of 
the building caught fire, the flames spread rapidly, de- 
stroying in their course the cords by which the numerous 
paraffin and oil lamps were suspended across the nave and 
aisles, and precipitating their burning contents upon the 
people beneath. The great doors opened inwards ; the 
crowd, trying to press out, closed them, and kept them 

163 



1 64 FIRE AT THE COMPANlA. 

hermetically sealed. The priests, anxious to save the 
church properties and sacred relics, shut the large iron 
gates across the chancel and kept them fastened, notwith- 
standing the agonizing shrieks of the unhappy victims, 
many of whom might otherwise have escaped. Their 
conduct on this terrible occasion created at the time a 
feeling of bitter and universal indignation, and caused 
a shock to the popularity and authority of the priesthood 
in this country, from which it will take them a long time 
to recover. 

Mr. Long told us that, between seven and eight o'clock 
on the evening of the catastrophe, he was walking with 
some friends on the Alameda, when he saw smoke rising 
in dense volumes from the quarter of the city where the 
house in which he resided was situated. He and his 
friends ran quickly in the direction of the fire, giving the 
alarm as they went, and on reaching the church they found 
the doors closely shut, while fearful screams were issuing 
from the interior, and smoke and flames pouring from the 
windows. They got a party of men together accustomed 
to the use of the lasso — no difficult task here — and with 
them climbed from the neighboring houses to the top 
of the church. Making a hole in the roof, they then 
dropped their lassos over some of the women beneath, 
and so dragged them out of the building ; but the number 
thus saved was necessarily very small, and it happened 
too often that many of the poor creatures below, in their 
eagerness to escape, hung on to the legs or body of the 
one they saw lassoed, and by their weight literally dragged 
her to pieces. Sometimes even a lasso broke, and those 
clinging to it, when almost within reach of safety, were 
again precipitated into the burning mass below. Any 
one who has seen a rawhide lasso, capable of withstand- 
ing the sudden rush of the fiercest bull ever captured, will 
be able to realize the immense strain which would be re- 
quired to cause one to give way. The next morning at 
daybreak, the interior of the church presented a terrible 



A HORRIBLE SCENE. 1 65 

spectacle. Mr. Long described it as being full of women, 
standing up, tightly wedged together, their hands stretched 
out as if in an attitude of supplication, their faces and 
the upper part of their bodies charred beyond recognition, 
the lower part, from the waist downwards, completely un- 
touched. 

Their remains were buried in one large grave, in the 
cemetery of the Recoleta, and the spot is now marked by 
a square piece of ground, full of bright flowers; inclosed 
by iron railings, almost hidden by the creepers that en- 
twine them, and shaded by willows, orange - trees, cy- 
presses, and pomegranates. In the center is a large cross, 
and on either side of the iron railings there is a marble tab- 
let with the simple but touching inscription, in Spanish — 

' Incendio de la Iglesia 

de la Compania, 

8 de Diciembre, 1863. 

Restos de las Victimas ; 

2000, mas o menos.' 

(Burning- of the Church of the Compania, December 8th, 1863. 

Remains of the victims. 2,000, more or less.) 

Almost every household in Santiago had lost one of 
its members. One lovely girl of seventeen was pulled out 
through the roof and taken to Madame Cousiiio's resi- 
dence, where she lay for nearly a fortnight. She suffered 
the greatest agonies, but was sensible to the last, and gave 
a graphic account of the whole harrowing scene. The site 
of the church, hallowed by such sad memories, has never 
been built upon, but is preserved as an open space, sur- 
rounded by a strip of garden, and having in its center a 
finely carved monument. 

The Houses of Congress were the next thing we went 
to see, after which we drove through a great part of the 
city and over a handsome bridge, with statues and small 
niches on either side. Beneath it, however, there is little 
more than a dry torrent bed ; and it is said that an 
American, when visiting this spot with a Santiago friend, 



1 66 THOROUGH-BRED STOCK. 

who was showing him round, remarked, ' I guess you ought 
either to buy a river or sell this here bridge.' We also 
went to the Church of La Recoleta. From the church we 
went to the cemetery of the same name, which is prettily 
laid out, and well stocked with flowers and trees. 

It being now past eleven o'clock, we began to think 
about breakfast, and accordingly returned to the hotel, 
where I was disappointed to find no news from Tom and 
no answer to the telegram I sent last night. 

At one o'clock we started again, and had a pleasant 
but rather dusty drive of eight miles to Macul, the stud- 
farm established by the late Don Luis Cousino. 

We had some luncheon at Mr. Canning's house, in a 
room that had recently been split from top to bottom by 
an earthquake, and afterwards sat in the veranda to see 
the horses and some of the cattle, which were brought 
round for our inspection. Among them were Fanfaron, 
Fandango, and other beautiful thorough-breds, three fine 
Cleveland coach-horses, Suffolk cart-horses and percherons, 
and some of the young stock. We saw only a few of the 
beasts, as at this time they are away feeding on the hills, 
but I believe they are as good as the horses. Mr. Long 
had arranged for us all to ride round the farm, and I was 
mounted on a lovely chestnut mare, sixteen hands high, 
daughter of Fanfaron, and niece to Kettledrum. I should 
have liked to have bought her and sen.t her home, but she 
was not for sale, though her value was ^400. English 
horses here are as dear, in proportion, as native horses are 
cheap. The latter may be bought for from twenty to 
sixty dollars apiece ; and some of them make capital 
little hacks. 

We rode all over the farm, attended by half a dozen 
peons, who drove the young thorough-bred stock together, 
in the enormous fields, for us to see, and afterwards did 
the same thing with some of the cattle. We also went 
through the farm buildings, in one part of which we 
saw the operation of making lassos. The best are com- 




HOW LASSOS ARE MADE. 1 67 

posed of neatly plaited strips of cured hide, about a quar- 
ter of an inch wide, the commoner sort being made from 
an undressed cow's hide, with the hair on, cut from the 
center in an ever-increasing circle, so 
that they are in one piece, many yards 
in length. In another part of the farm 
there were a few acres more of flower- 
gardens, orange-trees, and kitchen-gar- 
dens. 

Beautiful as the whole place is, it 
loses much in interest from its vastness. 
You never seem to know where you are, what makes Horses 
or when you have come to an end. I s° in Cml1 - 

hear that Madame Cousifio talks of extending the park 
still farther, right up into the mountains, which seems 
almost a pity, as it is already too big to be kept in really 
perfect order, even with a hundred and twenty men em- 
ployed upon it. Everything is completely surrounded 
and overgrown with flowers. Even the fields are sepa- 
rated by hedges of sweet-smelling double pink roses, and 
these hedges are larger than many a ' bullfinch ' in the 
old country. 

After a delightful gallop of about two hours, we return- 
ed to the farmhouse, where we found a fresh pair of horses 
waiting for us in the break, and drove back to Santiago 
by moonlight. 

It was eight o'clock when we reached the hotel, and as 
the table-d'hote dinner only lasts from five till half-past 
seven, I asked for a private dinner in our own room or in 
the general dining-room, for our own party and two guests 
in addition. But the landlord said he was not at all sure 
about giving us dinner ; he must see what there was in the 
kitchen first. We then declared we would go and dine 
at a cafe, and in less than half an hour managed to get an 
excellent little dinner at the Cafe Santiago, though even 
Mr. Long, who ordered it for us, could not induce them to 
give us native wine. I am bound to confess, however, that 



1 68 AN UNCIVIL LANDLORD. 

we punished ourselves at least as much as the landlord, for 
as we paid so much a day for board and lodging, he was 
of course bound to provide us with dinner, and we had 
thus to pay for our food twice over. 

Friday, October 2jth. — Still no news from Tom. Mr. 
Long called at half-past eight, to take me to the market, 
and my first step was to send another telegram, this 
time taking care to see that it really was dispatched. 

We then walked through the streets to the market-hall, 
a handsome iron building, commodiously arranged, which 
was sent out from England in pieces, and put together 
here. All round it are stalls, where you can get a capital 
breakfast, generally consisting of coffee, tender beef-steak, 
buttered toast, and boiled beans, for a small sum. One of 
our party, who had been at the market since half-past five, 
tried one, and fully confirmed the report we had heard as 
to their excellence and cleanliness. At the time of our 
visit all these refreshment stalls were crowded, and I felt 
rather tempted to join one of the hungry merry-looking 
groups myself. The market was well supplied with meat, 
fish, vegetables, fruit, and flowers of all kinds, green peas, 
French beans, and strawberries being specially abundant. 
There were quantities of queer-looking baskets to be seen, 
and some curious pottery, made by the nuns from a kind 
of cement. Outside the building there were men and 
women hanging about with ponchos, of their own manu- 
facture, which they had brought in from the country, for 
sale. We bought some bright specimens as presents for 
the children, but it took some time to collect them, as each 
individual had only one to offer. They are the work of 
the women, in the intervals of household labor, and as 
soon as one is completed it is sold, in order that materials 
for a fresh one may be purchased. We also bought some 
of the carved wooden stirrups, made in the country, and 
used by all the natives. They are rather like a small coal- 
scuttle in shape, and must be heavy and cumbersome. 

From the market we went to hear hig-h mass at the ca- 



HIGH MASS. 



169 



thedral. This is a fine building, though the interior seemed 
very dark. The high altar was illuminated by hundreds 
of candles, whose light shone on a crowd of kneeling 
women, all dressed in black, and with black veils over 
their heads, the contrast between their somber appearance 
and the gilding and paintings on the walls — handsome at 
a distance, but tawdry on a closer examination — being very 
striking. The organ is of splendid tone and quality, and 
reverberated grandly through the aisles, and the whole 
scene was not without a certain impressiveness. I had not 
thought of paying a visit to the cathedral when I went out 
this morning, and it was not until I saw every one staring 
at me that I remembered I had committed the terrible 
mistake of going to church in a hat, and without any veil ; 
but we remained in a dark corner most of the time, and 
emerged into open daylight again before any of the au- 
thorities of the place had time to observe or remonstrate 
with me. My wearing a hat was, however, quite as much 
against all church rules as a similar proceeding on the part 
of a man would have been. The women of this city are 
almost always good-looking when young, and they glide 
gracefully about the streets in their long black clinging 
gowns and mantos, by which they are completely envel- 
oped from head to foot. 

In the afternoon we went for a drive in the park, and 
to see Santa Lucia, of which, as the only hill in Santiago, 
the inhabitants of the city are very proud, and from thence 
drove to the Cousifio Park, an extensive piece of ground 
near the Alameda, laid out and arranged under the direc- 
tion of the late Don Luis Cousifio, and presented by him 
to the city of Santiago. 

After a stroll round the park, Mr. Long took us to 
an emporium for Panama hats, which are made in Lima, 
Guayaquil, and other states of Chili, as well as in Panama, 
from a special kind of grass, split very fine, and worn by 
almost everybody on this coast. The best made cost 340 
dollars, or about sixty guineas, and fifty pounds is not at 



170 



AN OPERA IN CHILI. 



all an uncommon price to pay, though the inferior kind 
may be had for two pounds. Those ordinarily worn by 
the gentlemen here cost from twenty to thirty pounds 
each, but they are so light, pliable, and elastic that they 
will wear forever, wash like a pocket-handkerchief, do not 
get burned by the sun, and can be rolled up and sat upon 
— in fact, ill-treated in any way you like — without fear of 
their breaking, tearing, or getting out of shape. For the 
yacht, however, where so many hats are lost overboard, 
they would, I fear, prove a rather unprofitable investment. 

We now drove back to the hotel, past the Mint, a hand- 
some building, guarded by soldiers, and with windows pro- 
tected by iron gratings. On our return I found that one 
of the valuable ponchos, given to me in the Argentine 
Republic, had been taken from our room. The landlord 
declined to trouble himself about its recovery, as he said it 
was ' most unlikely that any one would take a thing of no 
value to him here ; ' the real truth being that the guanaco 
ponchos are worth nearly double as much in Chili as they 
are on the other side of the Andes. 

After dinner we walked to the theater, where we saw 
La Sonnambida, well put on the stage, and well sung and 
acted by an Italian opera company. The prima donna, 
contralto, baritone, and bass were all good, but the scenery 
was occasionally somewhat deficient. The house, which 
is highly decorated — perhaps too much so for the ladies' 
dresses — looked well by night, though if it had been full 
the effect would have been still better. The box-tiers are 
not divided into pigeon-holes, as they are with us, and 
everybody can therefore see equally well. The Presiden- 
tial box seemed commodious and handsome, and had the 
Chilian coat of arms in front of it, making it look very 
much like a Royal box. 

The walk back by moonlight was delightful. Some 
of our party afterwards went to the Union Club, where 
they met several English gentlemen, who were most kind 
and pressing in their invitations to them to stay a few 



THE 'BURNING BUSH.' 



171 



days longer, and go up the mountains to see the views 
and to have some guanaco shooting. About twenty-four 
hours from here they say you can have your first shot, 
and a little farther on you meet them in herds which may 
be counted by thousands. There are also wild horses and 
wild donkeys. Quaggas and hemuels used to be found, 
but are now extinct. The last named is a rare animal, 
exactly resembling a horse in every particular, except that 
its hoofs are cloven. It used only to be found in the 
mountains of Chili, and it is one of the supporters of the 
national coat of arms. 

Saturday, October 2Stk. — At 5 a.m. we were called, and 
soon afterwards parting gifts of flowers began to arrive, 
and even I was obliged to confess that four large clothes- 
baskets full of rosebuds were more than I quite knew 
what to do with. At seven o'clock Mr. Long came to 
know if he could help us in any way, and a little later 
Madame Cousino's coachman appeared with the carriage, 
to take us to the station. 

We had a pleasant drive down the Alameda, the sun 
shining brilliantly in a bright blue sky, and the distant 
mountains for the first time being clearly visible. The 
station was crowded with venders of pottery, curious 
things in buffalo horn, sweetmeats, &c. The rolling stock 
on this line is of English manufacture, and we were there- 
fore put into the too familiar, close, stuffy, first-class car- 
riage, and duly locked up for the journey down to Val- 
paraiso. The line, running as it does through mountain 
gorges for a great portion of the way, must have been a 
difficult one to make. 

Just now the whole country wears a golden tint from 
the bloom of the espinosa, which seems to grow every- 
where, and which is now in perfection. The branches of 
this shrub are so completely covered with little yellow 
balls of flowers, which come before the leaves, and which 
have no separate stalk, but grow along the shiny, horny 
branches, that they look as if they were made of gold. It 



172 



A FLOWERY LAND. 



is called the ' burning bush ' here, and its wood is said to 
be the hardest in the country. The flowers are often 
plucked off and dried, in which state they are most fra- 
grant, and are used for scenting linen and for keeping 
away moths. The thorns, however, are a terrible nuisance 
to the shepherds and owners of cattle, catching their 
clothes and tearing them as they gallop swiftly across 
over the plains. If I bore you by saying too much about 
the flowers, forgive me. I want to make you all realize, 
if possible, what a lovely flowery land Chili is. The 
whole air is quite perfumed with roses, principally large 
double pink roses, something like the old-fashioned cab- 
bage rose, though there are a good many of the monthly 
kind and a few white and deep scarlet ones. They 
formed hedgerows on either side of the road, and in many 
places climbed thirty or forty feet up the trees, and then 
threw down long brambles laden with bloom, almost pro- 
ducing the effect of a wall of pink. There were also 
plenty of wild flowers of other sorts, such as scarlet and 
white lilies, larkspurs, eschscholtzias, evening primroses, 
and many others whose names I do not know. 

At Llaillai we stopped for breakfast, procured at a 
small restaurant at the station. While waiting for the 
train for Santiago to come in, we had plenty of time to 
observe the half-Indian girls selling fruit, flowers, cakes, 
&c, and jabbering away in a sort of patois Spanish, in rec- 
ommendation of their wares. Some of them were really 
pretty, and all were picturesquely dressed in bright-col- 
ored stuffs, their hair neatly done up and decorated with 
flowers, their faces clean and sniiling. At 11.15 a.m. we 
reached Quillota, where the train was literally besieged 
by men, women, and children, offering bouquets for sale 
— two or three of which were thrust in at every carriage 
window — and baskets of strawberries, cherimoyers, me- 
spilas, melons, oranges, sugar-cane, plantain, bananas, as- 
paragus, green peas, French beans, eggs, chickens, and 
even fish — nice little pesca-reyes, fresh from the stream 



' TO UJO URS CE UFS: 1 7 3 

close by. It must evidently be the custom of the Chi- 
lenos to visit by rail these fertile districts, for the purpose 
of doing their marketing ; for the occupants of the train 
soon absorbed the entire stock of the venders, who were 
left with empty baskets. 

I never saw such a country as this is for eggs and 
chickens. A hen seems never to have a smaller brood 
than ten, and I have often counted from seventeen to 
twenty-one chickens with the mother, and, more than 
once, as many as twenty-four. However well you may 
have breakfasted or dined, the waiters always come at 
the end of the meal to ask, not whether you will have 
any eggs, but how you will have them — fried, boiled, 
poached, or in some sort of omelet. If you refuse alto- 
gether, the chances are that two very lightly boiled eggs 
will be placed by your side, with the suggestion that you 
should beat them up and drink them. The inhabitants 
of the country always seem to finish their meals with eggs 
in some form or another. 

The celebrated ' Bell of Quillota,' a mountain which 
derives its name from its peculiar shape, and which serves 
as a good landmark in entering the harbor of Valparaiso, 
is well seen from the railway, a little below Quillota Sta- 
tion. We stopped again at Limache, a little village situ- 
ated in the midst of a fertile country, about twenty-five 
miles from Valparaiso, where fruit, flowers, &c, were as 
freely offered for sale as before, and again at Vina del 
Mar, the next station to Valparaiso. There is a good 
hotel here, in the midst of a pretty garden, where you 
can get an excellent breakfast or dinner. 

From this spot the line runs close along the edge of 
the sea, and we strained our eyes in vain, trying to dis- 
cover the yacht. At the station we were assailed by 
porters and touts of every description, but, seeing no one 
to meet us, and not knowing where to go, we contented 
ourselves with collecting our baggage in a little heap, 
while a fight went on close by between a policeman and 



174 FAMILY REUNION. 

a coachman, who had been too persistent in his endeav- 
ors to obtain a fare. They knocked one another about 
a good deal, and broke one or two windows, after which 
they appeared quite satisfied, shook hands, and were 
good friends again. Tom, Mabelle, and Muriel arrived 
before it was over, and we were very glad to meet again 
after our short absence. 

A long dusty drive brought us to the mole, and while 
the luggage was being packed in the boat, Tom and I 
went to call on the British Consul, where we found some 
letters. We were on board in time for two-o'clock lunch- 
eon, after which, amid many interruptions from visitors, 
we devoured our news from home and other parts — for 
amongst our letters were some from Natal, India, Japan, 
Canada, Teneriffe, South American ports, St. Petersburg, 
Constantinople, and several other places, besides those 
from dear old England. 

About four o'clock Tom and I went ashore. We had 
intended going alone in the ' Flash ' (our lightest boat), 
but a strong southerly wind had sprung up, which at 
once made the sea so rough that we went in the ' Gleam ' 
(the gig) instead, with six oars. It took the men all their 
time to get us ashore, though we had not far to go, for 
wind, tide, and waves were all against us. 

Valparaiso consists mainly of two interminable streets, 
running along the edge of the sea, at the foot of the 
hills, which rise immediately behind them, and on which 
are built all the residences and villas of the gentlemen of 
the place. Very few live in the town itself, which is com- 
posed almost entirely of large warehouses and fine shops, 
where you can get almost anything you want by paying 
between three and four times as much for it as you would 
do in England. For instance, the charge for hair-cutting 
is a dollar and a half (4s.), a three-and-sixpenny Letts's 
Diary costs two dollars and a half (10s.), a tall hat costs 
fifty-eight shillings, you must pay sixpence each for parch- 
ment luggage-labels, threepence apiece for quill pens, four 



ARRIVAL AT VALPARAISO. 



!75 



shillings for a quire of common note-paper, and so on in 
proportion. 

We had, as I have said, seen the yacht leave Lota 
Bay, with a strong head-wind blowing, on Thursday, the 
19th instant. In a few hours the wind fell to a calm, 
which then changed to a light favorable breeze, and the 
' Sunbeam ' reached Valparaiso on the following Saturday 
afternoon, anchoring out in the bay, not far from H.M.S. 
' Opal.' Here they rolled and tumbled about even more 
than if they had been at sea, the swinging capacities of 
the saloon tables and lamps being tried to the utmost. 
On Sunday half the men went ashore for a few hours' 
leave, but neither they nor the boat returned until the 
next morning, as they had not been allowed to leave the 
shore after nine o'clock. In the meantime Tom had been 
told that the small-pox was raging in the town, and he 
was much annoyed at their having to pass the night on 
shore, owing to proper inquiries as to the regulations of 
the port not having been made by them on landing. 
The next day the doctor went to see some medical con- 
freres at the hospital, and found that the reports were 
much exaggerated, the reality being that small-pox is al- 
ways more or less prevalent both here and at Santiago. 
Three months ago it was very bad, but at the present 
time it is not worse than usual. Tom and Mabelle started 
for Santiago on Monday, but unfortunately left their let- 
ters of introduction behind ; and as they did not like the 
hotel, they found it rather dull. We could not telegraph 
to them from Cauquenes, or anywhere en route, for there 
were no wires ; so on Wednesday morning, not hearing or 
seeing anything of us, they returned to Valparaiso. Tom 
left a long letter for me, with inclosures (which I never re- 
ceived), in the innkeeper's hands, asking for a telegraphic 
reply as to our plans and intentions, and, as I have al- 
ready mentioned, never said a word about coming back. 
Thursday was spent in seeing what little there is to see 
in Valparaiso, and in visiting the ' Opal.' On Friday Tom 



I7 6 FREQUENT EARTHQUAKES. 

went for a sail, moved the yacht close in shore, had a din- 
ner party on board, and went to a pleasant ball after- 
wards, given by the Philharmonic Society, an association 
of the same sort as the one at Rio. It was not, however, 
called a regular ball, but a tertidlia, so the ladies were in 
demi-toilette. Tom described the room as good, the floor 
first-rate, the music excellent, the ladies good-looking, and 
the men agreeable. To-day he met us at the station with 
the children ; and now, therefore, one account will de- 
scribe the movements of the whole reunited party. 

Sunday, October 2gth. — We all went ashore to church, 
having been told it was only five minutes' walk from the 
landing-place, instead of which it took us at least a quar- 
ter of an hour, in an intensely hot sun, to climb up a steep 
hill. The building itself was large, airy, and cool, and 
there is a good organ and choir, but most of the choris- 
ters had gone away to-day to a picnic in the country. 
During the Litany our attention was suddenly drawn to 
the fact that earthquakes are matters of frequent occur- 
rence in this country, by a special prayer being offered up 
for preservation from them and their destructive effects. 

At four o'clock we went ashore for a ride, and having 
climbed the hills at the back of the town, which command 
extensive views over land and sea, we galloped across the 
downs and through some villages on to the old high road 
from Valparaiso to Santiago, along which we rode only 
for a few yards, turning off into a romantic valley, where 
the path was so narrow that we could barely squeeze 
through between the thickly growing shrubs and trees. 
At last we went up a steep hill on to another high road, 
and re-entered the town quite at the opposite end to that 
at which we had left it, after which a ride of two miles 
along the stony, ill-paved streets brought us to the land- 
ing-place. 

Monday, October ^oth. — We were to be off directly the 
sea-breeze sprang up, at about eleven o'clock, and as I 
had many letters to write, I was called at 4 a.m., and 



ROBINSON CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 177 

finished them all before breakfast at eight. But first one 
visitor and then another arrived, and it was nearly eleven 
o'clock when we landed to make the final preparations 
for starting on our long voyage of eleven thousand miles 
across the Pacific. 

Our route, as at present arranged, will be via the 
Society, Friendly, and Sandwich Islands. Juan Fernan- 
dez (Robinson Crusoe's Island), which we at first thought 
of visiting, we have been obliged, I am sorry to say, to 
give up, not on account of its distance from Valparaiso, 
as it is only 270 miles off, but because it lies too far to 
the southward, and is consequently quite out of the 
track of the trade wind, which we ought to pick up, ac- 
cording to the charts and sailing directions, about 500 
miles to the northward and westward of this place. I 
have been trying to persuade Tom to steam out five or six 
hundred miles, so that we may make a quick passage and 
economize our time as much as possible, but he is anxious 
to do the whole voyage under sail, and we are there- 
fore taking very little coal on board, in order to be in the 
best trim. If we do not pick up a wind, however, there 
is no knowing how long we may lollop about. I suppose till 
we are short of water and fresh provisions, when the fires 
will be lighted and we shall steam away to the nearest 
island — uninhabited, we will hope, or at any rate peopled 
by friendly natives, which is rather the exception than 
the rule in the south-east corner of the Low Archipelago. 
There we shall fill up with fresh water, bananas, bread- 
fruit, and perhaps a wild hog or two, and resume our voy- 
age to Tahiti. But this is the least favorable view of the 
matter, and we must hope to fall in with the trades soon, 
and that they will blow strong and true. 

The island of Juan Fernandez now belongs to the 
Chilian Government, but is let on a long lease to a man 
who, they say here, is somewhat of a robber. He was 
very desirous that we should give him a passage in the 
yacht, and another man wanted to come too, with some 
12 



I7 8 OFF AGAIN. 

pointers, to show us the best spots for game, goats, turtle, 
crayfish, sea-fish, with all of which the place abounds. 
Some cattle have also been introduced, and the island is 
much frequented by whalers, who go there for fresh pro- 
visions and water. There is nothing particular to be 
seen, however, and the scenery of the island is not re- 
markable ; at least, so people who have been there tell 
us, and the photographs I have bought quite confirm 
their report. Admiral Simpson, who staid there once 
for a fortnight, told us a good deal about the place, and 
strongly recommended us not to go there unless we had 
plenty of time to spare, as we should not be repaid for 
our trouble, which would probably only result in the dis- 
sipation of all our childish illusions. 

Our first step on landing this morning was to go to 
the Consul's to post our letters. By-the-bye, I hope 
people in England will appreciate them, for they cost be- 
tween nine and ten pounds to send home. For our out- 
ward letters, although prepaid in England, we had to pay 
over eight pounds before we were allowed to have them 
from the office. Twenty-nine cases of stores, provisions, 
wine, &c, which had also been sent out, all arrived safely, 
and cost comparatively little. There are very good French 
hair-dressers here, a tempting hat-shop, and a well-stocked 
book-shop ; but everything, as I have said, is frightfully 
dear. 

It was half-past three when the harbor-tug arrived 
to tow us out of the harbor and so save our getting up 
steam. There was not a breath of air stirring, but Tom 
hoped we should find more outside when the tug cast us 
off. As we dropped slowly out, we had a good view 
of the harbor and town ; and we soon found ourselves 
once more fairly embarked on the bosom of the wide 
ocean. 



CHAPTER XII. 

VALPARAISO TO TAHITI. 

The western sea was all aflame, 
The day was well-nigh done ! 
Almost up07i the western wave 
Rested the broad bright sun. 

Tuesday, October ^\st. — Throughout the night a flat 
calm prevailed. The morning was wet and foggy, or we 
might still have seen Valparaiso, and perhaps have had a 
peep at Aconcagua. There was a light contrary wind 
from the N. W. throughout the day. In the afternoon we 
saw two whales blowing in the distance. 

Wednesday, November \st. — An almost calm day, with 
a few light showers, and fitful but unfavorable breezes. 
Some thirty or forty little birds, which the sailors called 
Mother Carey's chickens, but which were smaller and more 
graceful than any I have seen of that name, followed closely 
in our wake. I was never tired of watching the dainty 
way in which they just touched the tips of the waves with 
their feet, and then started off afresh, like a little maiden 
skipping and hopping along, from sheer exuberance of 
spirit. 

Thursday, November 2,d. — A bright sunny morning, 
with a heavy swell and light contrary wind, but the sea 
became more tranquil towards the evening. The sunset 
was superb, and the afterglow, as is often the case in these 
latitudes, lighted up sky and sea with an indescribable 
beauty, which attained its greatest magnificence about five 

179 



i8o 



AMATEUR TAILORS. 



minutes after the sun had disappeared, reminding one 
of the glorious sunsets of the African deserts, so often 
described by travelers. 

Friday, November 3d. — Still a blue sky, bright sun- 
shine, smooth sea, and light head-wind. The crew have 
all turned tailors, and are making themselves new suits 
from some dungaree we bought at Valparaiso, the clothes 
we expected for them not having met us there. 

Saturday, November 4th. — As fine as ever. This is 
certainly sailing luxuriously, if not swifty. We have now 
settled down into our regular sea-ways, and have plenty to 




Juvenile Scrubbers. 

do on board ; so the delay does not much signify. Still, 
our time is limited, and we, all hope to fall in with the 
trades shortly to carry us to Tahiti or some of the South 
Sea islands. We caught half-a-dozen of the little petrels, 
for stuffing, by floating lines of black cotton astern, in 
which they became entangled. 

To-night's sunset was more superb than ever. Each 
moment produced a new and ever increasingly grand effect. 
I mean to try and take an instantaneous photograph of 



A VAST OCEAN. ^i 

one. It would not, of course, reproduce all the marvelous 
shades of coloring, but it would perhaps give some idea of 
the forms of the masses of cloud, which are finer than any 
I ever saw before. This ocean seems to give one, in a 
strange way, a sense of solemn vastness, which was not 
produced to the same extent by the Atlantic. Whether 
this results from our knowledge of its size, or whether it 
is only fancy, I cannot say, but it is an impression which 
we all share. 

Sunday ; November $tk. — Fine, and considerably hotter, 
though not unpleasantly so. We had the Litany at eleven, 
and evening prayers and a sermon at four o'clock. Not a 
single ship has passed within sight since we left Valpa- 
raiso, and the only living creatures we have seen are some 
albatrosses, a few white boobies, a cape-hen, the little 
petrels already mentioned, a shoal of porpoises, and two 
whales. 

Monday, November 6th. — Passed, at 3 a.m. to-day, a 
large bark, steering south, and at 8 a.m. a full-rigged 
ship, steering the same course. We held — as we do with 
every ship we pass — a short conversation with her through 
the means of the mercantile code of signals. (This habit 
of exchanging signals afterwards proved to have been a 
most useful practice, for when the report that the ' Sun- 
beam' had gone down with all hands was widely circulated 
through England, I might almost say the world, — for we 
found the report had preceded us by telegram to almost 
all the later ports we touched at, — the anxiety of our 
friends was relieved many days sooner than it would 
otherwise have been by the fact of our having spoken the 
German steamer ' Sakhara,' in the Magellan Straits, Oct. 
13, four days after we were supposed to have gone to the 
bottom.) The weather continues fine, and we have the 
same light baffling winds. We hoped, when we started, 
to average at least 200 miles a day, but now we have 
been a week at sea, and have only made good a little 
more than 700 miles altogether, though we have sailed 



1 82 AN OUTRIGGER IN THE PACIFIC. 

over 800 miles through the water. It is, however, won- 
derful, in the opinion of the navigators, that we have 
made even as much progress as this, considering the very- 
adverse circumstances under which the voyage has so far 
been performed, and we must endeavor to console our- 
selves with the reflection that the sailing qualities of the 
yacht have undergone another severe test in a satisfac- 
tory manner. How the provisions and water will last out, 
and what time we shall leave ourselves to see anything of 
Japan, are questions which, nevertheless, occasionally pre- 
sent themselves to our minds. Independently of such con- 
siderations, nothing could be more luxurious and delight- 
ful than our present mode of existence. With perfect 
weather, plenty of books to read, and writing to do, no 
possibility of interruptions, one can map out one's day 
and dispose of one's time exactly as one pleases, until 
the half-past six o'clock dressing-bell — which always seems 
to come long before it is wanted — recalls one to the 
duties and necessities of life. 

Wednesday, November Zth. — A gray, cloudy morning 
and a flat calm. At twelve o'clock, to the great joy of 
everybody on board, Tom decided to get up steam, as we 
have now been becalmed quite twenty-four hours, and 
have made but little progress in the right direction for 
some days. The alacrity with which the order to stow 
sails and raise the funnel was obeyed — every one lending 
a hand — and the delight expressed on every countenance 
must have assured him of at least the popularity of his 
decision. 

Whilst we were waiting for steam to be got up, Tom 
took Muriel and me for a row in the ' Flash,' his own par- 
ticular little boat, with about four inches of freeboard. 
The possibility of doing this will give you a better idea 
of the tranquillity of this vast ocean than any description 
I can write. At the same time, when we wanted to get 
into the boat, we found there was a considerable roll on, 
and that it was no easy matter without the aid of a gang- 



FLOODING THE STORE-ROOM. 183 

way or ladder. We rowed a little way from the yacht, 
and, considering how quiet it had seemed to us when on 
board, it was wonderful to observe how she rolled in the 
trough of the sea, without sails to steady her or motive 
power to guide her. The Lota coals, though black and 
dirty beyond description, burn up very quickly, and in 
about an hour we were steaming merrily along, the Ara- 
bian horseshoe on our bowsprit's end being now pointed 
direct for the island of Tahiti, instead of for wherever the 
wind chose to blow us. 

Thursday, November gth. — A flat calm at 6 a.m. ; a very 
light fair wind at 9 a.m. In spite of my remonstrances, 
Tom determined, at half-past nine, to cease steaming 
and try sailing again. About twelve o'clock a puff came 
that sent us along at the rate of lOyi knots for a short 
time ; but it soon dropped, and during the rest of the 
afternoon and evening, our average speed was only three 
or four knots an hour. This is very poor work for the 
trades, but I don't believe we are really in them yet, in 
spite of the wind charts. It is possible that they may 
vary in different years ; besides which it is now the height 
of summer, with the sun south of the line, which would 
naturally make them lighter. 

Saturday, November nth. — At last we seem to be feel- 
ing the influence of the trades, as the wind continues to 
blow from the same direction, though it varies much in 
force. Sometimes we are going along at the rate of 11^ 
knots, sometimes barely five. In the afternoon we had 
the usual Saturday singing practice. 

Sunday, November 12th. — Another lovely day. We 
had the Litany and hymns at eleven, evening service and 
sermon at four. 

Just before morning church some one turned on the 
water in the nursery bath, and forgot to turn it off again, 
so that when we came aft from the saloon we had the 
pleasure of finding everything in the children's cabins 
afloat, and that a good deal of water had got down into 



1 84 LIVE AND DEAD STOCK. 

the hold. It was rather annoying at the time, but, I dare 
say, like many other present troubles, it was a good thing 
in the end. It obliged us, at any rate, to have all the 
stores brought up on deck, and led to our taking an in- 
ventory of our resources sooner than we should otherwise 
have done. I am sorry to say we found that, owing to 
the departure of our head steward and the illness of his 
successor, they have not been husbanded as carefully as 
they should have been, especially those provided for use 
forward. Sailors are more like children than grown-up 
men, and require as much looking after. While there is 
water in the tanks, for instance, they will use it in the 
most extravagant manner, without thought for the mor- 
row ; and they are quite as reckless with their other 
stores. 

I find, however, that one of the drawbacks to taking 
a very close personal interest in the housekeeping ar- 
rangements on board is the too intimate acquaintance one 
makes with the various individuals composing the live 
stock', the result being that, the private particular history 
of every chicken, duck, turkey, and joint of mutton is apt 
to be remembered with a damaging effect to appetite. 

In the afternoon two boobies, the first birds we have 
seen for some days, paid us a visit. I suppose we are too 
far out to see anything more of our pretty little friends, 
the petrels. 

Monday, November \~$tk. — We had a regular turn out 
and re-arrangement of our stores to-day, and discovered 
that the waste and mismanagement have been greater 
even than we at first supposed. Fortunately, we found 
some spare tins of provisions stowed away under the 
nursery floor and forgotten, and which will now come in 
very opportunely. But I fear that, even as it is, we may 
be seriously inconvenienced before getting to the end of 
our voyage. Of the six sheep, sixty chickens, thirty 
ducks, and four dozen pigeons, brought on board alive at 
Valparaiso, we have comparatively few left, and not a 



FALLING RIGGING. l8' 

great deal to give those few to eat ; so we must depend 
mainly on our potted meats and vegetables, which happen 
to be excellent. We often wonder how the earlier navi- 
gators got on, when there were no such things as tinned 
provisions, and when the facilities for carrying water 
were of the poorest description, while they were often 
months and months at sea, without an opportunity of re- 
plenishing their stores, and with no steam-power to fall 
back upon in case they were becalmed. Still more won- 
derful, in my opinion, is the successful manner in which 
the Spaniards managed to convey their horses in tiny 
vessels, together with a sufficient quantity of forage for 
them, to the New World, where, according to all ac- 
counts, they generally arrived in good condition, fit to go 
to work or to war immediately. 

The wind increased in the evening and blew dead aft. 
In the middle of the night the mizzen-halyards broke, and 
blocks and all came down with a tremendous crash, which 
caused both Tom and me to rush up on deck. About an 
hour and a half's work put everything straight again, 
however, though it looked a sad mess at first. We had 
been remarking at dinner how lucky we had been, with 
all this rolling about in calms and running before the 
wind, not to have had anything carried away or any of 
the ropes chafed. Personally, I think the accident is not 
to be regretted, for now all the fore and aft canvas is 
stowed, and we are running under square canvas alone, 
which is much steadier work, though we still roll consider- 
ably. 

Tuesday, November i^th. — Fine, with a strong fair 
wind. 

I have been laid up for a few days with a touch of my 
old enemy, Syrian fever, but am gradually recovering, 
and enjoy very much lying on deck and reading. 

Our victualing arrangements have now been satisfac- 
torily settled, and everybody has been put on an allowance 
of water, our supply of which will last the whole ship's 



1 86 OCEAN ROLL. 

company of forty persons for five weeks, leaving one tank 
still in reserve in case of accidents. As we expect to reach 
our destination in about three weeks from the present 
time, we have therefore, I hope, an ample supply for all 
our requirements. 

Wednesday, November \^th. — Pleasant as we have 
found life at sea in the South Pacific hitherto, it is, I fear, 
monotonous to read about, and I dare say you will find it 
difficult to realize how quickly the days fly past, and how 
sorry we are when each one comes to an end. I am afraid 
they are among those things which do not repeat them- 
selves. At any rate, they afford a golden opportunity for 
reading, such as we are not likely to have again often, if 
ever, in our busy lives ; and Tom and I are endeavoring 
to make the best use of it by getting through as many of 
the seven hundred volumes we brought with us as possible. 
The weather favors us in our endeavors to be industrious; 
for, while it is sufficiently warm to indispose one for a very 
severe course of study, it has never been so hot as to 
compel us to lie down and do nothing but gasp for breath 
— which is what we were warned to expect. There is in- 
deed one slight drawback to the perfect enjoyment of our 
present state of existence, and that is the incessant motion 
of the vessel. When she rolls as quickly as she has done 
to-day, it is difficult to settle down steadily to any occupa- 
tion, and at last one cannot help feeling aggravated at the 
persistent manner in which everything, including one's 
self, refuses to be still for a single instant. 

Thursday, November \6th. — To-day it is really warm — 
not to say hot — with a bright cloudless sky, which renders 
an awning acceptable. We saw some ' bo's'n ' birds for 
the first time, and more shoals of flying-fish. I wish a 
few of the latter would come on board ; they would be an 
agreeable addition to our breakfast-table. 

The rolling still continues, the wind being dead aft, 
and nothing but our square canvas being set. The effect 
is rather wearisome, and one longs to be able to say, 



MONOTONOUS DAYS. 187 

' Catch hold of her head and keep her still, if only for five 
minutes' peace and quietness ! ' Cooking is difficult, and 
even eating is a hazardous occupation ; and at our even- 
ing game of cards we have to pocket our counters and 
markers and hold on as best we can. 

Friday, November ijth. — -At 8 a.m. the course was 
altered, our fore-and-aft canvas was set again, and we were 
once more gliding along swiftly and smoothly through the 
water, to the great relief of every one on board. The 
day was lovely, and though it was warm, a pleasant 
breeze throughout the ship prevented our feeling uncom- 
fortably hot. 

Saturday, November i8t/i. — The days are so much 
alike that it is difficult to find anything special to say 
about them. They fly so quickly that I was surprised to 
be reminded by the usual singing-practice this afternoon 
that another week had gone by. 

The two green paroquets, ' Coco ' and ' Meta,' given 
to me by Mr. Fisher at Rosario, have turned out dear 
little pets, with the most amusing ways. They are ter- 
rible thieves, especially of sugar, pencils, pens, and paper, 
and being nearly always at liberty, they follow mc about 
just like dogs, and coax and caress me with great affec- 
tion. They do not care much for any one else, though 
they are civil to all and good-tempered even to the 
children, who, I am afraid, rather bore them with their 
attempts at petting. The other foreign birds, of which 
I have a large collection, are doing well, and I begin 
to hope I shall get them home safely after all. We 
had at one time about twenty parrots, belonging to the 
men on board, all running about on deck forward, with 
their wings clipped, but about half of them have been 
lost overboard. The dogs keep their health and spirits 
wonderfully. Felise is quite young again, and she and 
Lulu have great games, tearing up and down and around 
the decks as hard as they can go. 

Sunday, November igth. — I am convalescent at last, 



1 88 VARIABLE WINDS. 

and appeared at breakfast this morning for the first time 
for ten days. 

The wind was very variable throughout the day. Be- 
tween 6 and 7 a.m. we were going twelve knots ; between 
7 and 8 only three ; but as we never stop, we manage to 
make up a fair average on the whole. 

At eleven o'clock we had the Communion Service and 
two hymns. At midday the week's work was made up, 
with the following result. Our position was in lat. 15 
38' S., long. 117 52' W. ; we were 3,057 miles from Val- 
paraiso, — 1,335 °f which had been accomplished since 
last Sunday, — and 1,818 miles from Tahiti. 

To - day we were not far from Easter Island, the 
southernmost island of Polynesia. Here as in the La- 
drones, far away in the north-west quarter of the Pacific, 
most curious inscriptions are sometimes found carved in 
stone. 

The sails had been flapping, more or less, all day, and 
at the change of the dog-watches, at six o'clock, Tom 
oi'dered the men aft to stow the mizzen. This they had 
scarcely begun to do when a light breeze sprang up, and 
in a few minutes increased to a strong one, before which 
we bowled along at the rate of nine knots. These sud- 
den changes are of constant occurrence, and coming as 
they do without the slightest warning, are quite inexpli- 
cable. If only we had our old square sails, and our big- 
ger yards and topmast, we should have saved a good deal 
of time already ; for one or two knots an hour extra 
amount to from 25 to 50 miles a day, and in a month's 
run the difference would not be far short of 1,500 
miles. But we heard so much from people in England, 
who had visited these parts, of squalls and hurricanes, 
that Tom did not like to run the risk of being over- 
sparred, especially with a wife and children as passen- 
gers. 

Monday, November 20th. — The fore-and-aft sails were 
taken in, as they were doing no good and the square can- 



ALBATROSSES. 1 89 

vas was drawing. This allowed the mizzen-awning to be 
spread, making a pleasant place to sit in and a capital 
playground for the children, who scamper about all day 
long, and do not appear to feel the heat a bit. 

Tuesday, November 21st. — Certainly a very hot day. 
We made steady progress under the same canvas as yes- 
terday. 

Wednesday, November 22d. — Between 2 and 3 a.m. a 
nice breeze sprang up, and between 3 and 4.30 a.m. all 
the fore-and-aft sails were again set. It was deliciously 
cool on deck at that time ; but the sun rose fierce and 
hot, and more or less killed the breeze as the day wore 
on. 

Thursday, November 2~$d. — Twenty - four days out. 
We had hoped to reach Tahiti to-day, and Tom begins to 
regret that he did not steam some distance out from Val- 
paraiso, so as to pick up the trades sooner. Still it is 
satisfactory to know how well the ' Sunbeam ' can and 
does sail against light contrary winds, and to have an 
opportunity of developing some of her good points, of 
which we were previously hardly aware. How she man- 
ages to slip along as she does, four or five knots an hour, 
with not sufficient wind to blow a candle out, is a marvel 
to every one on board. More than once, when the hand- 
log has shown that we were going five knots, I have car- 
ried a naked light from one end of the deck to the other 
without its being extinguished. 

The sunrise was magnificent, and a splendid albatross, 
the largest we have yet seen, was at the same time visi- 
ble in mid-air, floating against the rose-colored clouds. 
He looked so grand, and calm, and majestic, that one 
could almost fancy him the bird of Jove himself, descend- 
ing direct from the sun. Where do these birds rest ? 
How far and how fast do they really fly? are questions 
for the naturalist. We have seen them many times at 
a distance of at least two thousand miles from the 
nearest land. 



190 



A STRANGE CAPTIVE. 



About nine o'clock there was a slight breeze, but it 
fell as the sun rose, and the day was intensely hot. 

Friday, November 2\th. — A fine breeze in the early 
morning, which, however, gradually died away. Having 
now quitted the regular track of the trade winds and got 
into the variables, we lighted fires at two o'clock. Then 
another light breeze sprang up for a few minutes, only 
to fall away again immediately, and at six o'clock we 
commenced to steam. 

Saturday, November 2^th. — A very wet morning, the 
sky clearing at about ten, but the weather remaining dull, 
heavy, hot, and oppressive, throughout the day. But we 
were making good progress under steam, which rendered 
the state of things more endurable than it would other- 
wise have been. 

Whilst I was standing on deck at night, a flying-fish 
flew against my throat and hung there, caught in the lace 
of my dress. He is a pretty specimen, but only his wings 
are to be preserved, for Muriel will have his body for 
breakfast to-morrow. 

Sunday, November 26th. — Our fourth consecutive Sun- 
day at sea, and out of sight of land. At 4 a.m. the sails 
were spread to a good breeze. At 7 we stopped steam- 
ing, but at 10 the wind again fell light. The Litany was 
read on deck this morning on account of the heat. The 
observations at noon showed that we were in lat. 15 47' 
S., long. 1 35 20' W., the distance accomplished during 
the last twenty-four hours being 181 miles. We have 
now made good 4,067 miles from Valparaiso, and are 815 
miles distant from Tahiti. At 5 p.m. we had prayers and 
a sermon, also on deck. It was then almost calm, and at 
eight o'clock we again began steaming, in order to insure 
our making the island of Tatakotoroa, 200 miles off, be- 
fore dark to-morrow. 

Monday, November 2jth. — I was on deck at 3.30 a.m. 
Everybody on board was more or less excited at the 
prospect of making land, after twenty-eight days at sea. 



BOOBIES. 



191 



It was a delicious morning, with a favorable breeze, and 
under steam and sail we progressed at the rate of from 
10 to \\y 2 knots an hour. Several birds flew on board, 
amongst whom were two boobies, who hovered round us 
and appeared to examine everything with great curiosity, 
especially the little wind-vanes at the extremity of the 
masts. At last they settled on the foretopmast, where- 
upon one of the sailors went up to try and catch them. 
They observed his movements closely, and appeared to be 
specially interested in his cap ; but as he approached, first 
one and then the other flew away, for a few yards, and 
then returned to his former position. At last the man, 
watching his opportunity, managed to seize one of them 
by his legs and bring him down in triumph, despite flap- 
ping wings and pecks from a sharp beak. He was shut 
up in the fowl-pen — now, alas ! empty of its proper deni- 
zens — where we had an opportunity of examining him 
before he was killed. He was a fine, handsome, gray 
bird, with large blue eyes, and a wild hawk-like look. 

At one o'clock we were almost sailing over the spot 
marked by Findlay as the situation of Tatakotopoto, or 
Anonymous Island ; but there was nothing whatever 
visible in the shape of land, even from the masthead, 
where a man was stationed, and from which it was possi- 
ble to see a distance of ten or fifteen miles. Tom went 
up himself several times and scanned the horizon care- 
fully, but in vain. It is therefore evident either that the 
position of the island is incorrectly stated, or that it has 
become submerged. I believe that in these seas there 
are many islands marked that have no existence, and that 
several that do exist are not marked, which renders it ne- 
cessary to keep a constant good lookout. What a charm- 
ing task it would be to thoroughly survey these parts, 
and to correct the present charts where necessary, and 
how much I should like to be one of the officers appointed 
for the service ! 

At 1.30 p.m. land was sighted from the masthead* 



192 



A CORAL ISLAND. 



and at two o'clock I saw from the deck what looked like 
plumes of dark ostrich feathers rising from the sea. This 
was the island of Tatakotoroa — also known as Narcissus, 
or Clarke Island — to the eastward of the Pamotu or Low 
Archipelago of the South Seas. The sailing directions 
describe the inhabitants as 'hostile,' and Sir Edward Bel- 
cher mentions that some of them tried to cut off the boats 
sent from a man-of-war for water. We were therefore 
afraid to attempt a landing, but sailed as near as we could 
to the shore, which, surrounded by a rampart of snow- 
white coral, and clothed almost to the water's edge with 
feathery palms, cocoanut-trees, and luxuriant vegetation 
of various kinds, looked very tempting. A few canoes 
were drawn up on the beach near a large hut, out of 
which three or four natives came, and, having looked at 
us for some time, ran off into the woods. Blue smoke 
could be seen curling up from several points of the forest, 
no doubt indicating the presence of more natives, whose 
dwellings were concealed by the trees. 

After lunch, Tom had me hoisted up to the foretop- 
masthead in a ' boatswain's chair,' which is simply a small 
plank, suspended by ropes at the four corners, and used 
by the men to sit on when they scrape the masts. I was 
very carefully secured with a rope tied round my petti- 
coats, and, knocking against the various ropes on my way, 
was then gently hoisted up to what seemed at first a giddy 
height ; but when I once got accustomed to the smallness 
of the seat, the airiness of my perch, and the increased 
roll of the vessel, I found my position by no means an. 
unpleasant one. Tom climbed up the rigging and joined 
me shortly afterwards. From our elevated post we could 
see plainly the formation of the island, and the lagune in 
the center, encircled by a band of coral, in some places 
white, bare, and narrow, in others wide and covered with 
palm-trees and rich vegetation ; it was moreover possible 
to understand better the theory of the formation of these 
coral islands. I was so happy up aloft that I did not care 



INTERESTED SPECTA TORS, 



J 93 



to descend; and it was almost 
as interesting to observe what 
a strange and disproportion- 
ed appearance everything 
and everybody" on board the 
yacht presented from my 
novel position, as it was to 
examine the island we were 
passing. The two younger 
children and the dogs took 
the greatest interest in my 
aerial expedition, and never 
ceased calling to me and bark- 
ing, until I was once more 
let down safely into their 
midst. As soon as we had 
seen all we could of the island, 
fires were banked, and we 
proceeded under sail alone 
throughout the evening and 
night. 



l ^rJ 




Going. up the Mast in a Chair. 




13 



Children looking up. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE SOUTH SEA ISLANDS. 

And all throughout the air there reigned the sense 
Of walling dream with luscious tJwughts o'erladen, 

Of joy loo consciotis made and too intense 
By the swift advent of excessive Aiden, 

Bewilderment of beauty's affluence. 

Tuesday, November 2$t/i. — We passed Anaa, or Chain 
Island, in the morning watch, before daybreak. I came 
on deck to try and get a glimpse of it, and was rewarded 
by a glorious sunrise. We had a nice eight-knot breeze 
and a strong current in our favor, and just before break- 
fast Tom descried from the masthead Amanu, or Moller 
Island, which we had hardly expected to make before 
ten or eleven o'clock. Some one remarked that it seemed 
almost as if it had come out to meet us. The reef encir- 
cling this island varies much in height and vegetation. In 
some places it supports a noble grove of trees, in others 
the sea breaks over the half-submerged coral-bed, the first 
obstacle it has met for 4,000 miles, with a roar like thun- 
der. 

Before we had lost sight of Amanu, the island of Hao 
Harpe, or Bow Island, was visible on our port bow. I 
wished very much to land, and at last persuaded Tom, 
who was rather anxious on the score of the natives, to 
allow some of us to make the attempt, cautioning us to 
turn away from the shore directly, in case the islanders 
looked at all doubtful in their attitude and intentions. 
After lunch, therefore, we hove-to, and the gig's crew 
were ordered to arm themselves with revolvers and rifles, 

194 



PREPARATIONS FOR LANDING. 



J 95 



which they were not to show unless required to do so. 
All the gentlemen had revolvers, and Mabelle and I were 
also provided with two small ones, Phillips and Muriel 
being the only unarmed members of the party. I took 
a bag full of beads, knives, looking-glasses, and pictures, 
for barter and presents, and with these preparations we 
set off to make our first personal acquaintance with the 
islanders of the South Pacific. Tom gave us a tow to 
windward, and we then rowed direct to a point on one 
side of the entrance to the lagune, where we saw some 
natives waving something white. As we approached we 
could distinguish several figures standing on the point, 
under the shade of some cocoanut-trees, and on the op- 
posite side of the entrance some canoes were drawn up 
on the beach, by the side of a hut, close to a large clump 
of low trees. We were by this time surrounded by break- 
ers, and it required no little skill to steer the boat safely 
through the broken water, between the race of the tide 
on one side, and the overfall from the coral reef on the 
other. It was successfully done, however, and, having 
rounded the point, we found ourselves at once in the 
waters of the tranquil lagune. We should have preferred 
to land at the point, had it been possible, as it was doubt- 
ful whether it would be safe to go round the corner, and 
so lose sight of the yacht ; but the intentions of the na- 
tives seemed peaceable, several of them running into the 
water up to their waists to meet us, while others could be 
seen hurrying along the beach, the women carrying what 
looked like bunches of fruit. 

It is really impossible to describe the beauty of the 
scene before us. Submarine coral forests, of every color, 
studded with sea-flowers, anemones, and echinidse, of a 
brilliancy only to be seen in dreamland, shoals of the 
brighest and swiftest fish darting and flashing in and out ; 
shells, every one of which was fit to hold the place of 
honor in a conchologist's collection, moving slowly along 
with their living inmates : this is what we saw when we 



196 SOUTH SEA ISLANDERS. 

looked down, from the side of the boat, into the depths 
below. The surface of the water glittered with every 
imaginable tint, from the palest aquamarine to the bright- 
est emerald, from the pure light blue of the turquois to 
the deep dark blue of the sapphire, and was dotted here 
and there with patches of red, brown, and green coral, 
rising from the mass below. Before us, on the shore, there 
spread the rich growth of tropical vegetation, shaded by 
palms and cocoanuts, and enlivened by the presence of 
native women in red, blue, and green garments, and men 
in motley costumes, bringing fish, fowls, and bunches of 
cocoanuts, borne, like the grapes brought back from the 
land of Canaan by the spies, on poles. 

As soon as we touched the shore the men rushed for- 
ward to meet us, and to shake hands, and, having left the 
muskets and revolvers judiciously out of sight in the boat, 
we were conducted to a cluster of huts, made of branches, 
or rather leaves, of the palm-tree, tied by their foot-stalks 
across two poles, and hanging down to the ground. Here 
we were met by the women and children, who, likewise, all 
went through the ceremony of shaking hands with us, after 
which the head-woman, who was very good-looking, and 
was dressed in a cherry-colored calico gown, with two long 
plaits of black hair hanging down her back, spread a mat 
for me to sit upon just outside the hut. By this time 
there was quite a little crowd of people assembled round, 
amongst whom I noticed one woman with a baby, who 
had her hair sticking straight out all round her head, and 
another who held a portion of her dress constantly before 
her face. After the gentlemen had walked away she re- 
moved the cloth, and I then saw that her nose had been 
cut off. Most of the women were good-looking, with dark 
complexions and quantities of well-greased, neatly-plaited 
black hair, but we did not see a single young girl, though 
there were plenty of children and babies, and lots of 
boys, the latter of whom, like some of the older women, 
had only a piece o r f palm matting round their loins. We 



ISLAND COSTUMES. 



197 



therefore came to the conclusion that the girls must have 
been sent away intentionally when the approach of the 
yacht was observed. 

As soon as I was seated, the head-woman told one of 
the men to knock down some cocoanuts from the trees 
close by, and after cutting off the ends she offered us a 
drink of the fresh cool milk, which was all the sweeter and 
better for the fact that the nuts were not nearly ripe. 
While this was going on, the natives brought piles of 
cocoanuts, fish, and fowls, and laid them at our feet as a 
present. Some of the fish were of a dark-brown color, 
like bream, others were long and thin, with a pipe-like 
nose and four fins, somewhat resembling the wings of a 
flying-fish. 

Seeing smoke in the distance, rising from under some 
high palm-trees, we thought we should like to go and 
see whence it proceeded, and accordingly set off to walk 
through a sort of bush, over sharp coral that cut one's 
boots terribly, the sun blazing down upon us fiercely all 
the time, until we reached a little settlement, consisting of 
several huts, the inhabitants of which were absent. Fine 
plaited mats for beds, cocoanut shells for cups, mother- 
of-pearl shells for plates, and coral, of various kinds and 
shapes, for dishes and cooking utensils, formed their only 
furniture. We saw three women, one very old, with noth- 
ing but a palm-leaf mat as a covering, the others dressed 
in the apparently universal costume, consisting of a long 
bright - colored gown, put into a yoke at the shoulders, 
and flowing thence loosely to the ground, which com- 
pletely conceals the wearer's form, even to the tips of her 
toes. I think these dresses must come from England or 
America, for they are evidently machine-made, and the 
cotton -stuff of which they are composed has the most 
extraordinary patterns printed on it I ever saw. Cherry 
and white, dark blue and yellow or white stripes, red 
with yellow spots, and blue with yellow crosses, appear to 
be the favorite designs. The women seemed gentle and 



198 A ' BE A CH- COMBER! 

kind, and were delighted with some beads, looking-glasses, 
and knives I gave them, in return for which they brought 
us quantities of beautiful shells. 

We saw the large iron knee of a vessel in one spot dur- 
ing our walk, and wondered how it came there. In an- 
other place we saw a canoe in process of construction, in- 
geniously made of boards, sewed together with plaited 
palm-leaves. The canoes in use here are very high, long, 
and narrow, and are only kept from upsetting by means 
of a tremendous outrigger, consisting of a log fastened 
to the extremity of two bent pieces of wood, projecting 
sideways from each end of the boat. The only animals 
we met with in our ramble were four pigs and a few 
chickens, and no other live stock of any kind was visible. 
No attempt seemed to be made at the cultivation of the 
ground; and I think if there had been, we must have ob- 
served it, for our party separated and walked a good dis- 
tance in various directions. 

The natives made us understand that on the other side 
of the entrance to the lagune, in the better sort of house 
we had noticed, there resided a white man. He did not, 
however, make his appearance during our visit, and I im- 
agine he must have been one of those individuals called 
' beach-combers,' referred to in so many of the books that 
treat of the South Sea Islands — a sort of ne'er-do-well 
Englishman or American, rather afraid of meeting any of 
his own countrymen, but very clever at making a bargain 
between a ship's crew and the natives, with considerable 
profit to himself. 

Among the bushes we found numbers of large hermit 
crabs, crawling, or rather running, about in whelk shells, 
half a dozen of them occasionally having a grand fight 
amongst themselves. We picked up at least twenty dif- 
ferent sorts of gracefully shaped pieces of coral, and quan- 
tities of shells of an infinite variety of form and color ; 
cowries, helmet-shells, the shells from which cameos are 
sometimes cut, mother-of-pearl, shells, and a large spiral 



SOUTH SEA HOGS. • 199 

univalve, nearly a foot long, with dark brown spots and 
stripes on a delicate cream-colored ground, like the skin 
of a tiger or leopard. On our way back to the huts we 
peeped into several of the canoes drawn up on the beach, 
in which were some fish-spears and a fish-hook, nearly 
three inches long, made of solid mother-of-pearl, the nat- 
ural curve of the shell from which it was cut being pre- 
served. A piece of bone was securely fastened to it by 
means of some pig's hair, but there was no bait, and it 
seems that the glitter of the mother-of-pearl alone serves 
as a sufficient allurement to the fish. 

In nearly all accounts of voyages in the South Seas 
much space is devoted to the description of the purchase, 
or rather barter, of hogs. We thought we could not do 
better than follow as far as possible the example of our 
predecessors, and accordingly bought two little pigs for 
two shillings each. They were evidently quite pets, lying 
on the mats outside the huts, and coming when called, 
just like dogs. The one I first bought appeared to be 
quite happy and content to be carried under my arm. 
The natives seemed quite to understand the value of 
money, and did not hesitate to ask for it in return for the 
cocoanuts full of shells which they brought us. I fancy 
some of the Tahiti schooners trade here for pearl, shells, 
and beche-de-mer. 

The cocoanuts, fowls, fish, and coral, &c, having been 
put into our boat, we shook hands with the friendly 
islanders and embarked, and having rounded the point we 
soon found ourselves again in the broken water outside 
the lagune, where the race of the tide and the overfall 
were now much more violent than they had been when we 
landed. If we had once been drawn into the current, we 
should have stood a good chance of being knocked to 
pieces on the coral reefs, strong as our boat was ; but the 
danger was happily avoided, and we reached the yacht 
safely, much to Tom's relief. 

The natives did not exhibit the slightest curiosity 



200 GRACEFUL MANNERS. 

about us during our visit to the island, and though they 
received us with courtesy, and assisted us as far as they 
could on our arrival and departure, they did not follow us 
about while on shore, nor, with the exception of one or 
two of them, did they take the trouble to walk across the 
point to see us get into the open sea and join the yacht. 
In this respect they might have given a lesson to many 
civilized people, so gentle, genial, and graceful, yet digni- 
fied, were their manners. 

The screw having been feathered and the sails set, our 
voyage was at once resumed. A few miles from where we 
had landed, we saw, high and dry on the coral reef skirt- 
ing the island, a large square-built schooner, of about 500 
tons, her masts gone, her hull bleached white by the sun, 
and a great hole in her side. She was on the inside of the 
reef, and must therefore either have drifted there from 
the lagune, or else have been lifted bodily across by one 
of the big Pacific rollers, in some terrible storm. No 
doubt the iron knee we had seen on the island originally 
formed part of this vessel. 

Wednesday, November 2gt/i. — We seem to have got into 
the real south-east trades, just as the chart tells us we 
ought to expect to lose them ; for there was a strong fair 
breeze all day, which made it very pleasant on deck in the 
shade of the sails. But it was exceedingly hot in the 
saloon, where some of the woodwork has been pulled 
down, in order to secure better ventilation for the galley 
and the berths of some of the men, who, I hope, appre- 
ciate the alteration, for it is a source of considerable dis- 
comfort to us. 

We had the bigger of our two little pigs for dinner to- 
day, and a welcome change it was from the salt and pot- 
ted meats. He was most excellent, and fully corroborated 
Captain Cook's statement as to the superiority of South 
Sea Island pork to any other — a fact which is doubtless 
due to the pigs being fed entirely on cocoanuts and bread- 
fruit. Still it seemed a pity to eat such a tame creature, 



A BRILLIANT METEOR. 201 

and I mean to try and preserve the other one's life, un- 
less we are much longer than we expect in reaching Ta- 
hiti. He is only about ten inches long, but looks at least 
a hundred years old, and is altogether the most quaint, 
old-fashioned little object you ever saw. He has taken a 
great fancy to the dogs, and trots about after me with 
them everywhere, on the tips of his little toes, even up 
and down the steep cabin stairs. I call him Agag, be- 
cause he walks so delicately, whilst others accost him as 
Beau, not only on account of his elegant manners, but as 
being the name of his former home. 

The moon was more brilliant this evening than we 
have yet seen her during our voyage, and we could enjoy 
sitting on deck reading, and even doing some coarse 
needlework, without any other light. One splendid me- 
teor flashed across the sky. It was of a light orange color, 
with a fiery tail about two degrees in extent, and de- 
scribed in its course an arc of about sixty degrees, from 
S.S.E. to N.N.W., before it disappeared into space, far 
above the horizon. If the night had been darker, the 
spectacle would have been finer ; but even as it was, the 
moon seemed quite paled for a few minutes afterwards. 
We have seen many meteors, falling-stars, and shooting- 
stars since we left Valparaiso, but none so fine as the one 
this evening. 

Friday, December \st. — The sun rose grandly, but the 
heavy black and red clouds, looking like flames and smoke 
from a furnace, gave promise of more rain. The heat was 
greater to-day than any we have yet felt ; and it is now 
nearly mid-winter at home. 

At 5 a.m. we made the island of Maitea, and expected 
to reach it in about an hour and a half; but the wind fell 
light, and it was a quarter to ten before we got into the 
gig and set out for the shore. There are not many in- 
structions about landing, either in Captain Cook or Find- 
lay, but the latter mentions that houses are to be found 
on the south side of the island. We thought, however, 



202 AMIDST THE SURF. 

we could distinguish from the yacht a little cove, close to 
some huts, at another part of the shore, where the surf 
did not break so heavily. We accordingly rowed straight 
for it, and as we approached we could see the natives com- 
ing down from all parts to meet us, the women dressed 
in the same sort of long, bright, flowing garments we had 
seen at Hao Harpe, with the addition of garlands round 
their necks and heads, the men wearing gay-colored loin- 
cloths, shirts of Manchester cotton stuff, flying loose in 
the wind, and sailors' hats with garlands round them, or 
colored silk handkerchiefs — red and orange evidently hav- 
ing the preference — tied over their heads and jauntily 
knotted on one side. Several of the men waded out into 
the surf to meet us, sometimes standing on a rock two 
feet above the water, sometimes buried up to their necks 
by a sudden wave. But the rocks were sharp, the only 
available passage was narrow, and the rollers long and 
high ; and altogether it looked, upon a closer inspection, 
too unpromising a place to attempt a landing. Much to 
the disappointment of the natives, therefore, we decided 
to go round and try the other side of the island. Seeing 
us prepare to depart, the people on shore immediately 
launched a tiny canoe, with an enormous outrigger, and a 
man dressed in a pale green shirt, dark blue and yellow 
under-garment, and with a silk handkerchief and garland 
on his head, came alongside and made signs that he would 
take us ashore one by one in his frail-looking craft. But 
the heavy Pacific rollers and the sharp rocks daunted us, 
and we declined his offer with thanks, and rowed off to 
the southward. Anything more enticing than the cove 
we were quitting can hardly be imagined. A fringe of 
cocoanuts and bread-fruit trees, overhanging an under- 
growth of bright glossy foliage and flowers, a few half- 
hidden palm-leaf covered huts, from one of which — I sup- 
pose the chief's — a tattered Tahitian flag floated in the 
breeze, a small schooner drawn up among the trees and 
carefully covered with mats, the steep sugar-loaf point, at 



AN UNPLEASANT CIRCUIT. 



203 



the entrance to the cove, clothed to its summit with grass 
and vegetation: these were the objects which attracted 
our attention in our hurried survey of the scene. 

We had to give the island a wide berth in rowing round 
it, on account of the heavy rollers, which seemed to come 
from every side, breaking in surf against the dark brown 
cliffs, and throwing columns of white spray, from which 




Our Boatman. 

the brilliant sunsnine was reflected in rainbow hues, high 
into the air. As we proceeded matters looked worse and 
worse, and the motion of the boat became so disagreeable 
that both Muriel and I were very ill. At last we came 
to a spot where we could see some people sitting on the 
shore, and several others, who had probably come over 
from the other side to meet us, running swiftly down the 
sides of the cliffs to the beach. The island was of a dif- 
ferent character from the one we had already visited, and 
was evidently of volcanic origin. No coral was anywhere 
to be seen, but there were big rocks jutting out at inter- 
vals into the sea all round it, one of which seemed large 
enough to afford us a sort of shelter in landincr. The na- 



204 WE LAND AT LAST. 

tives waved and pointed towards the channel beyond this 
rock, and one or two swam out to meet us ; but we soon 
found that the channel would not be wide enough' to ad- 
mit our big boat, though it was no doubt sufficient for a 
light canoe, drawing some two inches of water. We there- 
fore reluctantly turned away and resumed our uneasy coast- 
ing voyage, in the course of which we passed some nearly 
leafless trees, full of white patches, too large for flowers, 
which afterwards turned out to be booby-birds, who here 
find a resting-place. They are so numerous that it is 
hardly possible to walk beneath the trees without tread- 
ing on their eggs. 

Having completed the circuit of the island, we found 
ourselves once more opposite the spot where we had first 
thought of landing, and the tide being by this time a little 
higher, we decided to make another attempt. Some of 
the natives seeing us approach, plunged into the water as 
before, and seized the gunwale of the boat, while others, 
on shore, brought down rollers to put beneath our keel. 
We went in on the top of a big wave, and thus at last 
found ourselves — boat and all — high and dry on the beach 
of Maitea. 

The people came down to meet us, and conducted us 
to the house of the chief, who, with his pretty wife, re- 
ceived us kindly, but with much gravity and dignity. Mats 
were placed for me to sit upon, wreaths were offered me 
for my head and neck, and cocoanut milk to drink. We 
wished for some bananas, and they immediately cut down 
a tree in order to obtain a bunch. Cocoanuts were at the 
same time thrown down from the trees, and a collection of 
fruit, poultry, and meat — the latter consisting of the im- 
memorial hog — was laid at our feet, as a present from the 
chief. The rest of the natives brought us pearls, shells, 
mother-of-pearl, small canoes, fish-hooks, young boobies, 
and all sorts of things for barter; but the chief himself 
refused any return for his gift. Perhaps the greatest curi- 
osity they offered us was about six fathoms of fine twine, 



PUZZLED NATIVES. 



205 



made from human hair. Before these islands were visited 
by Europeans this was the material from which fishing, 
lines were made ; but it is now rarely used, and is conse- 
quently very difficult to procure. The young boobies they 
brought us looked just like a white powder-puff, and were 
covered with down far thicker and softer than any swan's 
down I ever saw. 

The natives seemed quite au fait in the matter of 
monetary transactions and exchanges. For an English 
sovereign they would give you change at the rate of five 
dollars. Chilian or United States dollars they accepted 
readily, but Brazilian currency they would not look at. 
They were pleased with knives, beads, looking-glasses, and 
picture papers I had brought on shore, and we did a brisk 
trade. We experienced great difficulty in explaining to 
them that we wanted some fresh eggs, Muriel's especial 
fancy, and a luxury which we have been without for some 
time. At last, by pointing to the fowls and picking up 
some small egg-shaped stones, we managed to procure a 
few, though, from the time it took to collect them, I should 
think the island must have been scoured in the search for 
them. 

Most of the natives seemed puzzled to comprehend 
why we had visited the island at all. ' No sell brandy ? ' 
—'No.' ' No stealy men ? ' — 'No.' ' No do what then?' 
Their knowledge of English was too limited to enable us 
to make them understand that we were only making a 
voyage of circumnavigation in a yacht. 

It was now time to bid farewell to our amiable hosts 
and their beautiful island. As we reached the landing- 
place, a small schooner, which we had previously noticed 
in the distance, came close to the shore, and a canoe put 
off from the island to meet it. We found that the vessel 
was bringing back from Tahiti and other places some of 
the inhabitants of the island, who had been away on a 
visit or in search of work. The meeting of the reunited 
friends and relatives was in some cases quite touching. 



2o6 EXCUSES FOR NATIVES. 

Two women, in particular, sat and embraced each other 
for nearly a quarter of an hour, without moving, but with 
tears running down their faces. 

All our gifts and purchases having been placed in the 
boat, and one or two of us having embarked, she was 
shoved out over the wooden rollers into the narrow 
channel, where she lay-to while the rest of the party were 
brought alongside, one by one, in a frail canoe — an opera- 
tion which occupied some time, during which -we had 
leisure once more to admire the little bay I have already 
attempted to describe. We asked the captain of the 
schooner, who spoke French, to give us a tow off to the 
yacht, which he willingly consented to do, chatting cheer- 
fully all the time, but evidently fearful of approaching too 
close to the yacht, and positively refusing our invitation 
to him to come on board. There can be little doubt that 
he mistrusted our intentions, and feared we might attempt 
to kidnap him and his crew ; for the whites have, in too 
many cases, behaved in a most villainous manner to the 
inhabitants of these islands, who arc, as a rule — to which 
there arc of course exceptions — a kind and gentle people. 
I think if the many instances of the murder of ships' and 
boats' crews could be thoroughly sifted to the bottom, it 
would be found that most of them were acts of reprisal 
ami revenge for brutal atrocities committed on the de- 
fenseless natives, who have been kidnapped, plundered, 
and murdered by unscrupulous traders and adventurers. 
Unfortunately, the good suffer for the bad, and such lives 
as those of Captain Goodenough and Bishop Patteson are 
sacrificed through the unpardonable misconduct of others 
— perhaps their own countrymen. It is still quite a 
chance how you may be received in some of the islands ; 
for if the visit of the last ship was the occasion of 
the murder, plunder, and ill-treatment of the inhabit- 
ants, it is not to be wondered at that the next comers 
should be received with distrust, if not with treachery 
and violence. 



A PROTECTING REEF. 207 

We reached the yacht at four o'clock, rather exhaust- 
ed by so many hours' exposure to the broiling sun, hav- 
ing had nothing to eat since breakfast, at 7 a.m., except 
cocoanuts and bananas. The ship was put about, the 
sails filled, and, continuing steadily on our course through- 
out the evening, we made the smaller of the two penin- 
sulas that form the island of Tahiti at 10.30 p.m. 

Saturday, December 2d. — We were dodging on and 
off all night, and at daybreak the weather was thick and 
rainy. At 4.30 a.m. we made the land again, and crept 
slowly along it, past Point Venus and the lighthouse in 
Matavai Bay (Captain Cook's first anchorage), until we 
were off the harbor of Papiete. The rain was now de- 
scending in torrents, and we lay-to outside the reef for a 
short time, until a French pilot came on board and took 
us in through the narrow entrance. It was curious, while 
we were tumbling about in the rough sea outside, to see 
the natives placidly fishing in the tiniest of canoes on the 
lagune inside the reef, the waves beating all the time 
furiously on the outer surface of the coral breakwater, as 
if anxious to seize and ingulf them. 

At nine o'clock we were safely anchored in the chief 
port of the island of Tahiti. 

Perhaps I cannot better bring this account of our long 
voyage from Valparaiso to a conclusion than by a quota- 
tion from a charming book, given to me at Rio, which I 
have lately been reading — Baron de Hubner's ' Prome- 
nade autour du Monde ' : — 'Les jours se suivent et se res- 
semblent. Sauf le court episode du mauvais temps, ces 
trois semaines me font l'effet d'un charmant reve, d'un 
conte de fee, d'une promenade imaginaire a travers une 
salle immense, tout or et lapis-lazuli. Pas un moment 
d'ennui ou d'impatience. Si vous voulez abreger les lon- 
gueurs d'une grande traversee, distribuez bien votre temps, 
et observez le reglement que vous vous etes impose. 
C'est un moyen sur de se faire promptement a la vie 
claustrale et meme d'en jouir.' 



208 A LONELY VOYAGE. 

We have been five weeks at sea, and have enjoyed 
them quite as much as the Baron did his three. We saw- 
but two ships between Valparaiso and Tatakotoroa : he 
saw only one between San Francisco and Yokohama. 
It is indeed a vast and lonely ocean that we have 
traversed. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

AT TAHITI. 

The cava feast, the yam, the cocoa's root, 
Which bears at once the cup, and milk, and fruit, 
The bread-tree which, without the plowshare, yields 
The tinreap'd harvest of unfurrowed fields. 

These, with the luxuries of seas and woods, 
The ahy joys of social solitudes, 
Tamed each rude wanderer. 

Saturday, December 2d. — The anchor was dropped in 
the harbor of Papiete at nine o'clock, and a couple of hours 
later, by which time the weather had cleared, we went 
ashore, and at once found ourselves in the midst of a 
fairy-like scene, to describe which is almost impossible, so 
bewildering is it in the brightness and variety of its color- 
ing. The magnolias and yellow and scarlet hibiscus, over- 
shadowing the water, the velvety turf, on to which one 
steps from the boat, the white road running between rows 
of wooden houses, whose little gardens are a mass of 
flowers, the men and women clad in the gayest robes and 
decked with flowers, the piles of unfamiliar fruit lying on 
the grass, waiting to be transported to the coasting vessels 
in the harbor, the wide-spreading background of hills clad 
in verdure to their summits — these are but a few of the 
objects which greet the new-comer in his first contact with 
the shore. 

We strolled about, and left our letters of introduc- 
tion ; but the people to whom they were addressed were 
at breakfast, and we were deliberating how best to dis- 
pose of our time, when a gentleman accosted us, and, 
14 209 



2IO QUEEN POM ARE. 

seeing how new it all was to us strangers, offered to show 
us round the town. 

The streets of Papiete, running back at right angles 
with the beach, seem to have wonderfully grand names, 
such as the Rue de Rivoli, Rue de Paris, &c. Every 
street is shaded by an avenue of high trees, whose branches 
meet and interlace overhead, forming a sort of leafy tun- 
nel, through which the sea-breeze passes refreshingly. 
There is also what is called the Chinamen's quarter, 
through which we walked, and which consists of a collec- 
tion of regular Chinese-built bamboo houses, whose occu- 
pants all wore their national costume, pigtail included. 
The French commandant lives in a charming residence, 
surrounded by gardens, just opposite the palace of Queen 
Pomare, who is at present at the island of Bola-Bola, 
taking care of her little grandchild, aged five, the queen 
of the island. She went down in a French man-of-war, 
the ' Limier,' ten days ago, and has been obliged to re- 
main, owing to some disturbances amongst the natives. 
I am rather disappointed that she is absent, as I should 
like to see a person of whom I have heard so much. 

Having completed our tour, we next went to call on 
the British Consul, who received us kindly, and enter- 
tained us with an interesting account of the island and 
its inhabitants, its pearl-fisheries and trade, the French 
policy, the missionaries, &c, on all of which subjects he 
is well informed. He has just completed an exhaustive 
consular report on the condition of the island, which will, 
no doubt, appear in due course in the form of a blue 
book. 

On our return to Messrs. Brander's office, where we 
had left one of our letters of introduction, we found the 
manager, with whom we had a long chat before returning 
on board. 

At 5 p.m. we went for a row in the ' Glance ' and the 
' Flash ' to the coral reef, now illumined by the rays of 
the setting' sun. Who can describe these wonderful gar- 



FISHING BY TORCHIIGHT. 211 

dens of the deep, on which we now gazed through ten 
and twenty fathoms of crystal water ? Who can enume- 
rate or describe the strange creatures moving about and 
darting hither and thither, amid the masses of coral form- 
ing their submarine home? There were shells of rare 
shape, brighter than if they had been polished by the 
hand of the most skillful artist ; crabs of all sizes, scut- 
tling and sidling along; sea-anemones, spreading their 
delicate feelers in search of prey ; and many other kinds 
of zoophytes, crawling slowly over the reef ; and scarlet, 
blue, yellow, gold, violet, spotted, striped, and winged 
fish, short, long, pointed, and blunt, of the most varied 
shapes, were darting about like birds among the coral 
trees. 

At last, after frequent stoppages, to allow time for 
admiration, we reached the outer reef, hauled the boat 
up and made her fast, and, in bathing shoes, started on a 
paddling expedition. Such a paddle it was too, over the 
coral, the surf breaking far above our heads, and the un- 
derflow, though only a few inches deep, nearly carrying 
me and the children off our legs ! There were one or 
two native fishermen walking along the reef, whipping the 
water ; but they appeared to have caught only a few 
small rock-fish, pretty enough to look at, but not appa- 
rently good to eat. 

The shades of night compelled us to return to the ' 
yacht, laden with corals of many different species. After 
dinner the bay was illuminated by the torches of the 
native fishermen, in canoes, on the reef. Tom and I 
went to look at them, but did not see them catch any- 
thing. Each canoe contained at least three people, one 
of whom propelled the boat, another stood up waving 
about a torch dipped in some resinous substance, which 
threw a strong light on the water, while the third stood 
in the bows, armed with a spear, made of a bundle of 
wires, tied to a long pole, not at all unlike a gigantic egg- 
whip, with all its loops cut into points. This is aimed 



212 A PARADISE OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS. 

with great dexterity at the fish, who are either transfixed 
or jammed between the prongs. The fine figures of the 
natives, lighted up by the flickering torches, and standing 
out in bold relief against the dark blue starlit sky, would 
have served as models for the sculptors of ancient 
Greece. 

Sunday, December $d. — At a quarter to five this morn- 
ing some of us landed to see the market, this being the 
great day when the natives come in from the country and 
surrounding villages, by sea and by land, in boats or on 
horseback, to sell their produce, and buy necessaries for 
the coming week. We walked through the shady streets 
to the two covered market buildings, partitioned across 
with great bunches of oranges, plantains, and many- 
colored vegetables, hung on strings. The mats, beds, and 
pillows still lying about suggested the idea that the sales- 
men and women had passed the night amongst their 
wares. The gayly attired, good-looking, flower-decorated 
crowd, of some seven or eight hundred people, all chatting 
and laughing, and some staring at us — but not rudely — 
looked much more like a chorus of opera-singers, dressed 
for their parts in some grand spectacle, than ordinary 
market-going peasants. Whichever way one turned, the 
prospect was an animated and attractive one. Here, be- 
neath the shade of large, smooth, light-green banana 
leaves, was a group of earnest bargainers for mysterious- 
looking fish, luscious fruit, and vegetables ; there, shel- 
tered by a drooping mango, whose rich clusters of purple 
and orange fruit hung in tempting proximity to lips 
and hands, another little . crowd was similarly engaged. 
Orange-trees were evidently favorite rendezvous ; and a 
row of flower-sellers had established themselves in front 
of a hedge of scarlet hibiscus and double cape jasmine. 
Every vender carried his stock-in-trade, however small 
the articles composing it might be, on a bamboo pole, 
across his shoulder, occasionally with rather ludicrous 
effect, as, for instance, when the thick but light pole sup- 



THE QUEEN'S BROTHER. 213 

ported only a tiny fish six inches long at one end, and 
two mangoes at the other. Everybody seemed to have 
brought to market just what he or she happened to have 
on hand, however small the quantity. The women would 
have one, two, or three new-laid eggs in a leaf basket, one 
crab or lobster, three or four prawns, or one little trout. 
Under these circumstances, marketing for so large a party 
as ours was a somewhat lengthy operation, and I was 
much amused in watching our prove 'e 'dor, as he went about 
collecting things by ones and twos, until he had piled a 
little cart quite full, and had had it pushed off to the 
shady quay. 

We strolled about until six o'clock, at v/hich hour the 
purchasers began to disperse, and were just preparing to 
depart likewise, when an old man, carrying half a dozen 
little fish and followed by a small boy laden "with vegeta- 
bles and fruit, introduced himself to us as the brother-in- 
law of Queen Pomare IV. and chief of Papiete, and, after 
a short talk, invited us to visit him at his house. We 
consented, and, following him, presently reached a break 
in the hedge and ditch that ran along the side of the 
road, beyond which was a track, bordered by pineapples 
and dracaenas, leading to a superior sort of house, built in 
the native style, and surrounded, as usual, by bread-fruit, 
cocoanut, banana, mango, and guava trees. We were 
conducted into the one large room, which contained two 
four-post bedsteads and four mattresses, laid on the floor, 
two or three trunks, and a table in the corner, on which 
were writing materials and a few books. The chief him- 
self spoke a very little English, his son an equally small 
amount of French ; so the conversation languished, and 
after a decent interval we rose to depart. Our host asked 
if he might ' come and see my ship,' and procured pen, 
ink, and paper — not of the best quality — for me to write 
an order for him do so, ' in case lady not at home.' He 
also presented me with some pictures of soldiers, drawn 
by his son — a boy about eleven years old, of whom he 



214 



A NATIVE CHURCH. 



seemed very proud, and expressed his regret that we 
could not prolong our stay, at the same time placing at 
our disposal the whole house and garden, including a fat 
sow and eleven little pigs. 

Several other visitors had arrived by this time, one of 
whom was on horseback, and, as I was rather tired, he 
was asked if he would kindly allow me to ride down to 
the landing-place. He replied that he would lend the 
horse to a gentleman, but not to me, as the saddle was 
not suitable. I explained that this made no difference to 
me, and mounted, though I did not attempt to follow the 
fashion of the native ladies here, who ride like men. Our 
new friend was quite delighted at this, and volunteered 
himself to show us something of the neighborhood. Ac- 
cordingly, leading my — or rather his — horse, and guiding 
him carefully over all the rough places, he took us through 
groves and gardens to the grounds belonging to the royal 
family, in which were plantations of various kinds of trees, 
and a thick undergrowth of guava. After an enjoyable 
little expedition we returned to the yacht at about half- 
past seven, accompanied by the small boy who had been 
carrying our special purchases from the market all this 
time, and by a little tail of followers. 

At half-past eight we breakfasted, so as to be ready 
for the service at the native church at ten o'clock ; but 
several visitors arrived in the interval, and we had rather 
a bustle to get off in time, after all. We landed close to 
the church, under the shade of an hibiscus, whose yellow 
and orange flowers dropped off into the sea and floated 
away amongst the coral rocks, peeping out of the water 
here and there. The building appeared to be full to over- 
flowing. The windows and doors were all wide open, 
and many members of the congregation were seated on 
the steps, on the lawn, and on the grassy slope beyond, 
listening to a discourse in the native language. Most of 
the people wore the native costume, which, especially 
when made of black stuff and surmounted by a little 



MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



215 



sailor's hat, decorated with a bandana handkerchief or a 
wreath of flowers, was very becoming. Sailors' hats are 
universally" worn, and are generally made by the natives 
themselves from plantain or palm leaves, or from the in- 
side fiber of the arrowroot. Some rather elderly men and 
women in the front rows were taking notes of the sermon. 
I found afterwards that they belonged to the Bible class, 
and that their great pride was to meet after the service 
and repeat by heart nearly all they had heard. This 
seems to show at least a desire to profit by the minister's 
efforts, which, we must hope, were not altogether in vain. 

After the usual service there were two christenings. 
The babies were held at the font by the men, who looked 
extremely sheepish. One baby was grandly attired in a 
book-muslin dress, with flounces, a tail at least six feet 
long dragging on the ground, and a lace cap with cherry- 
colored bows ; the other was nearly as smart, in a white- 
worked long frock and cap, trimmed with blue bows. The 
christenings over, there was a hymn, somewhat monoto- 
nous as to time and tune, but sung with much fervor, 
followed by the administration of the sacrament, in which 
cocoanut milk took the place of wine, and bread-fruit 
that of bread. The proper elements were originally used, 
but experience proved that, although the bread went 
round pretty well, the cup was almost invariably emptied 
by the first two or three communicants, sometimes with 
unfortunate results. 

After service we drove through the shady avenues of 
the town into the open country, past trim little villas and 
sugar-cane plantations, until we turned off the main road, 
and entered an avenue of mangoes, whence a rough road, 
cut through a guava thicket, leads to the main gate 
of Fautahua — a regular square Indian bungalow, with 
thatched roofs, verandas covered with creepers, windows 
opening to the ground, and steps leading to the gardens 
on every side, ample accommodation for stables, kitchens, 
servants, being provided in numerous outbuildings. 



216 A WOODLAND WALK. 

Soon after breakfast, Mrs. Brander dressed me in one 
of her own native costumes, and we drove to the outskirts 
of a dense forest, through which a footpath leads to the 
waterfall and fort of Fautahua. Here we found horses 
waiting for us, on which we rode, accompanied by the 
gentlemen on foot, through a thick growth of palms, 
orange-trees, guavas, and other tropical trees, some of 
which were overhung and almost choked by luxuriant 
creepers. Specially noticeable among the latter was a 
gorgeous purple passion-flower, with orange-colored fruit 
as big as pumpkins, that covered everything with its vig- 
orous growth. The path was always narrow and some- 
times steep, and we had frequently almost to creep under 
the overhanging boughs, or to turn aside to avoid a more 
than usually dense mass of creepers. We crossed several 
small rivers, and at last reached a spot that commanded a 
view of the waterfall, on the other side of a deep ravine. 
Just below the fort that crowns the height, a river issues 
from a narrow cleft in the rock, and falls at a single bound 
from the edge of an almost perpendicular cliff, 600 feet 
high, into the valley beneath. First one sees the rush of 
blue water, gradually changing in its descent to a cloud 
of white spray, which in its turn is lost in a rainbow of 
mist. Imagine that from beneath the shade of feathery 
palms and broad-leaved bananas through a network of 
ferns and creepers you are looking upon the Staubbach, 
in Switzerland, magnified in height, and with a back- 
ground of verdure-clad mountains, and you will have some 
idea of the fall of Fautahua as we beheld it. 

After resting a little while and taking some sketches, 
we climbed up to the fort itself, a place of considerable 
interest, where the natives held out to the very last 
against the French. On the bank opposite the fort, the 
last islander killed during the struggle for independence 
was shot while trying to escape. Situated in the center 
of a group of mountains, with valleys' branching off in all 
directions, the fort could hold communication with every 



IS IT DREAMLAND? 217 

part of the coast, and there can be little doubt that it 
would have held out much longer than it did, but for the 
treachery of one of the garrison, who led the invaders, 
under cover of the night, and by devious paths, to the 
top of a hill commanding the position. Now the ram- 
parts and earthworks are overrun and almost hidden by 
roses. Originally planted, I suppose, by the new-comers, 
they have spread rapidly in all directions, till the hill- 
sides and summits are quite a-blush with the fragrant 
bloom. 

Having enjoyed some strawberries and some icy-cold 
water from a spring, and heard a long account of the war 
from the gardiens, we found it was time to commence our 
return journey, as it was now getting late. We descended 
much more quickly than we had come up, but daylight 
had faded into the brief tropical twilight, and that again 
into the shades of night, ere we reached the carriage. 

Dinner and evening service brought the day to a con- 
clusion, and I retired, not unwillingly, to bed, to dream 
of the charms of Tahiti. 

Sometimes I think that all I have seen must be only a 
long vision, and that too soon I shall awaken to the cold 
reality ; the flowers, the fruit, the colors worn by every 
one, the whole scene and its surroundings, seem almost 
too fairylike to have an actual existence. I am in de- 
spair when I attempt to describe all these things. I feel 
that I cannot do anything like justice to their merits, and 
yet I fear all the time that what I say may be looked 
upon as an exaggeration. 

Long dreamy lawns, and birds on happy wings, 
Keeping their homes in never-rifled bowers ; 

Cool fountains filling with their murmurings 
The sunny silence 'twixt the chiming hours. 

At daybreak next morning, when I went on deck, it 
was a dead calm. The sea-breeze had not yet come in, 
and there was not a ripple on the surface of the harbor. 



2I g THE MANGO. 

Outside, two little white trading schooners lay becalmed; 
inside, the harbor-tug was getting up steam. On shore, 
a few gayly dressed natives were hurrying home with 
their early market produce, and others were stretched 
lazily on the grass at the water's edge or on the benches 
under the trees. Our stores for the day, a picturesque- 
looking heap of fish, fruit, vegetables, and flowers, were 
on the steps, waiting to be brought off, and guarded in 
the meantime by natives in costumes of pink, blue, orange, 
and a delicate pale green they specially affect. The light 
mists rolled gradually away from the mountain tops, and 
there was every prospect of a fine day for a projected ex- 
cursion. 

I went ashore to fetch some of the fresh-gathered 
fruit, and soon we had a feast of luscious pineapples, 
juicy mangoes, bananas, and oranges, with the dew still 
upon them. The mango is certainly the king of fruit. 
Its flavor is a combination of apricot and pineapple, 
with the slightest possible suspicion of turpentine thrown 
in, to give a piquancy to the whole. I dare say it sounds 
a strange mixture, but I can only say that the result is 
delicious. To enjoy mangoes thoroughly you ought not to 
eat them in company, but leaning over the side of the 
ship, in the early morning, with your sleeves tucked up to 
your elbows, using no knife and fork, but tearing off the 
skin with your teeth, and sucking the abundant juice. 

We breakfasted at half-past six, and, at a little before 
eight, went ashore, where we were met by a sort of char-a- 
bancs, or American wagon, with three seats, one behind 
the other, all facing the horses, and roomy and comforta- 
ble enough for two persons. Our Transatlantic cousins 
certainly understand thoroughly, and do their best to im- 
prove everything connected with, the locomotion they 
love so well. A Chinese coachman and a thin but active 
pair of little horses completed the turnout. Mabelle sat 
beside the coachman, and we four packed into the other 
two seats, with all our belongings. 



A GRATEFUL BEVERAGE. 



219 



The sun was certainly very powerful when we emerged 
from the shady groves of Papiete, but there was a nice 
breeze, and sometimes we got under the shade of cocoa- 
nut trees. We reached Papea at about half-past nine, 
and changed horses there. While waiting, hot and thirsty, 
under the shelter of some trees, we asked for a cocoanut, 
whereupon a man standing by immediately tied a withe 
of banana leaves round his feet and proceeded to climb, 
or rather hop, up the nearest tree, raising himself with his 
two hands and his feet alternately, with an exactly similar 
action to that of our old friend the monkey on the stick. 
People who have tasted the cocoanut only in England 
can have no idea what a delicious fruit it really is when 
nearly ripe and freshly plucked. The natives remove the 
outer husk, just leaving a little piece to serve as a foot 
for the pale brown cup to rest on. They then smooth off 
the top, and you have an elegant vase, something like a 
mounted ostrich-egg in appearance, lined with the snowi- 
est ivory, and containing about three pints of cool sweet 
water. Why it is called milk I cannot understand, for it 
is as clear as crystal, and is always cool and refreshing, 
though the nut in which it is contained has generally 
been exposed to the fiercest sun. In many of the coral 
islands,- where the water is brackish, the natives drink 
scarcely anything but cocoanut milk ; and even here, if 
you are thirsty and ask for a glass of water, you are 
almost always presented with a cocoanut instead. 

From Papea onwards the scenery increased in beauty, 
and the foliage was, if possible, more luxuriant than ever. 
The road ran through extensive coffee, sugar-cane, Indian 
corn, orange, cocoanut, and cotton plantations, and va- 
nilla, carefully trained on bamboos, growing in the thick 
shade. Near Atemavao we passed the house of a great 
cotton planter, and, shortly afterwards, the curious nuts, 
raised on platforms, built by some islanders he has im- 
ported from the Kingsmill group to work his plantations. 
They are a wild, savage-looking set, very inferior to the 



220 TAHITI AN RESTAURANT. 

Tahitians in appearance. The cotton -mills, which for- 
merly belonged to a company, are now all falling to ruin ; 
and in many other parts of the island we passed cotton 
plantations uncleaned and neglected, and fast running to 
seed and waste. So long as the American war lasted, a 
slight profit could be made upon Tahitian cotton, but now 
it is hopeless to attempt to cultivate it with any prospect 
of adequate return. 

The sun was now at its height, and we longed to stop 
and bathe in one of the many fresh-water streams we 
crossed, and afterwards eat our lunch by the wayside ; 
but our Chinese coachman always pointed onwards, and 
said, ' Eatee much presently; horses eatee too.' At last 
we arrived at a little house, shaded by cocoanut trees, 
and built in an inclosure near the sea-shore, with ' Res- 
taurant ' written up over the door. We drove in, and 
were met by the proprietor, with what must have been 
rather an embarrassing multiplicity of women and children 
about his heels. The cloth was not laid, but the rooms 
looked clean, and there was a heap of tempting-looking 
fish and fruit in a corner. We assured him we were starv- 
ing, and begged for luncheon as soon as possible ; and, in 
the meantime, went for a dip in the sea. But the water 
was shallow, and the sun made the temperature at least 
90 , so that our bath was not very refreshing. On our 
return we found the table most enticingly laid out, with 
little scarlet crayfish, imbedded in cool green lettuce 
leaves, fruit of various kinds, good wine and fair bread, 
all arranged on a clean though coarse tablecloth. There 
was also a savory omelet, .so good that Tom asked for 
a second ; when, to our astonishment, there appeared a 
plump roast fowl, most artistic gravy, and fried potatoes. 
Then came a biftek anx cliampignons, and some excellent 
coffee to wind up with. On making the host our compli- 
ments, he said, ' Je fais la cuisine moi-meme, madame.' 
In the course of our repast we again tasted the bread-fruit, 
but did not much appreciate it, though it was this time 



SAILOR INNKEEPERS. 221 

cooked in the native fashion — roasted underground by- 
means of hot stones. 

Our coachman was becoming impatient, so we bade 
farewell to our host, and resumed our journey. We 
crossed innumerable streams on our way, generally full 
not only of water, but also of bathers ; for the Tahitians 
are very fond of water, and always bathe once or twice a 
day in the fresh streams, even after having been in the 
sea. 

In many places along the road people were making hay 
from short grass, and in others they were weighing it pre- 
paratory to sending it into town. But they say the grass 
grown here is not at all nourishing for horses, and some 
people import it from Valparaiso. 

The road round the island is called the Broom Road. 
Convicts were employed in its original formation, and now 
it is the punishment for any one getting drunk in any part 
of the island to be set to work to sweep, repair, and keep 
in order a piece of the road in the neighborhood of his 
dwelling. It is the one good road of Tahiti, encircling 
the larger of the two peninsulas close to the sea-shore, 
and surmounting the low mountain range in the center of 
the isthmus. 

Before long we found ourselves close to the narrow 
strip of land connecting the two peninsulas into which 
Tahiti is divided, and commenced to ascend the hills that 
form the backbone of the island. We climbed up and 
up, reaching the summit at last, to behold a magnificent 
prospect on all sides. Then a short, sharp descent, a long- 
drive over grass roads through a rich forest, and again a 
brief ascent, brought us to our sleeping-quarters for the 
night, the Hotel de lTsthme, situated in a valley in the 
midst of a dense grove of cocoanuts and bananas, kept 
by two retired French sailors, who came out to meet us, 
and conducted us up a flight of steps on the side of a mud 
bank to the four rooms forming the hotel. These were 
two sleeping apartments, a salon, and a salle a manger, the 



22 2 INSECT LIFE. 

walls of which consisted of flat pieces of wood, their own 
width apart, something like Venetian shutters, with un- 
glazed windows and doors opening into the garden. 

We walked about four ..hundred yards along a grassy 
road to the sea, where Mabelle and I paddled about in 
shallow water and amused ourselves by picking up coral, 
shells, and beche-de-mer, and watching the blue and yellow 
fish darting in and out among the rocks, until at last we 
found a place in the coral which made a capital deep- 
water bath. Dressing again was not such a pleasant affair, 
owing to the mosquitoes biting us in the most provoking 
manner. Afterwards we strolled along the shore, which 
was covered with cocoanuts and driftwood, washed thi- 
ther, I suppose, from some of the adjacent islands, and 
on our way back to the hotel we gathered a handful of 
choice exotics and graceful ferns, with which to decorate 
the table. 

The dinner itself really deserves a detailed description, 
if only to show that one may make the tour of Tahiti 
without necessarily having to rough it in the matter of 
food. We had crayfish and salad as a preliminary, and 
next an excellent soup, followed by delicious little oysters 
that cling to the boughs and roots of the guava and man- 
grove trees overhanging the sea. Then came a large fish, 
name unknown, the inevitable boiiilli and cabbage, cote- 
lettes aux pommes, biftek aux champignons, succeeded by 
crabs and other shell-fish, including wurrali, a delicate- 
flavored kind of lobster, an omelette aux abrzcots, and des- 
sert of tropical fruit. We were also supplied with good 
wine, both red and white, and bottled beer. 

I ought, in truth, to add that the cockroaches were 
rather lively and plentiful, but they did not form a serious 
drawback to our enjoyment. After dinner, however, 
when I went to see Mabelle to bed, hundreds of these 
creatures, about three inches long, and broad in propor- 
tion, scuttled away as I lighted the candle ; and while we 
were sitting outside we could see troops of them marching 



A LIVELY NIGHT. 



223 



up and down in rows between the crevices of the walls. 
Then there were the mosquitoes, who hummed and buzzed 
about us, and with whom, alas ! we were doomed to make 
a closer acquaintance. Our bed was fitted with the very 
thickest calico mosquito curtains, impervious to the air, 
but not £0 the venomous little insects, who found their 
way in through every tiny opening in spite of all our ef- 
forts to exclude them. 

Tuesday, December ^th. — The heat in the night was 
suffocating, and soon after twelve o'clock we both woke 
up, feeling half-stifled. There was a dim light shining 
into the room, and Tom said, ' Thank goodness, it's get- 
ting daylight ; ' but on striking my repeater we found to 
our regret that this was a mistake. In the moonlight I 
could see columns of nasty brown cockroaches ascending 
the bedposts, crawling along the top of the curtains, drop- 
ping with a thud on the bed, and then descending over 
the side to the ground. At last I could stand it no longer, 
and, opening the curtains cautiously, I seized my slippers, 
knocked half a dozen brown beasts out of each> wrapped 
myself in a poncho — previously well-shaken — gathered 
my garments around me, surmounted a barricade I had 
constructed overnight to keep the pigs and chickens out 
of our doorless room, and fled to the garden. All was 
still, the only sign of life being a light in a neighboring 
hut, and I sat out in the open air in comparative comfort, 
until driven indoors again by torrents of rain, at about 
half-past two o'clock. 

I plunged into bed again, taking several mosquitoes 
with me, which hummed and buzzed and devoured us 
to their hearts' content till dawn. Then I got up and 
walked down to the beach to bathe, and returned to 
breakfast at six o'clock, refreshed but still disfigured. 

It is now the depth of winter and the middle of the 
rainy season in Tahiti ; but, luckily for us, it is nearly 
always fine in the daytime. At night, however, there is 
often a perfect deluge, which floods the houses and gar- 



224 LAND-CRABS. 

dens, turns the streams into torrents, but washes and re- 
freshes the vegetation, and leaves the landscape brighter 
and greener than before. 

At half-past seven the horses were put to, and we were 
just ready for a start, when down came the rain again, 
more heavily than before. It was some little time before 
it ceased enough to allow us to start, driving along grassy 
roads and through forests, but progressing rather slowly, 
owing to the soaked condition of the ground. If you can 
imagine the Kew hot-houses magnified and multiplied to 
an indefinite extent, and laid out as a gentleman's park, 
traversed by numerous grassy roads fringed with cocoa- 
nut palms, and commanding occasional glimpses of sea, 
and beach, and coral reefs, you will have some faint idea 
of the scene through which our road lay. 

Many rivers we crossed, and many we stuck in, the 
gentlemen having more than once to take off their shoes 
and stockings, tuck up their trousers, jump into the water, 
and literally put their shoulders to the wheel. Sometimes 
we drove out into the shallow sea, till it seemed doubtful 
when and where we should make the land again. Some- 
times we climbed up a solid road^ blasted out of the face 
of the black cliffs, or crept along the shore of the tranquil 
lagune, frightening the land-crabs into their holes as they 
felt the shake of the approaching carriage. Palms and 
passiflora abounded, the latter being specially magnificent. 
It seems wonderful how their thin stems can support, 
at a height of thirty or forty feet from the ground, the 
masses of huge orange-colored fruit which depend in 
strings from their summits. 

At the third river, not far from where it fell into the 
sea, we thought it was time to lunch ; so we stopped the 
carriage, gave the horses their provender, and sat down to 
enjoy ourselves after our long drive. It was early in the 
afternoon before we started again, and soon after this we 
were met by fresh horses, sent out from Paponoa ; so it 
was not long before we found ourselves near Point Venus, 



A TAHITI MAIL-SHIP. 



225 



where we once more came upon a good piece of road, 
down which we rattled t?o the plains outside Papiete. 

We reached the quay at about seven o'clock, and, our 
arrival having been observed, several friends came to see 
us and to inquire how we had fared. Before we started 
on our excursion, instructions had been given that the 
' Sunbeam ' should be painted white, for the sake of cool- 
ness, and we were all very curious to see how she would 
look in her new dress ; but unfortunately the wet wea- 
ther has delayed the work, and there is still a good deal 
to do. 

Wednesday, December 6th. — It was raining- fast at half- 
past four this morning, which was rather provoking, as I 
wanted to take some photographs from the yacht's deck 
before the sea-breeze sprang up. But the weather cleared 
while I was choosing my position and fixing my camera, 
and I was enabled to take what I hope may prove to be 
some successful photographs. 

Messrs. Brander's mail-ship, a sailing vessel of about 
600 tons, was to leave for San Francisco at eight o'clock, 
and at seven Tom started in the ' Flash ' to take our letters 
on board. The passage to San Francisco occupies twenty- 
five days on an average, and is performed with great regu- 
larity once a month each way. The vessels employed on 
this line, three in number, are well built, and have good 
accommodation for passengers, and they generally carry a 
full cargo. In the present instance it consists of fungus 
and tripang {beche-de-mer) for China, oranges for San Fran- 
cisco, a good many packages of sundries, and a large con- 
signment of pearls, intrusted to the captain at the last 
moment. 

So brisk is the trade carried on between Tahiti and the 
United States, that the cost of this vessel was more than 
covered by the freights the first year after she was built. 
In addition to these ships, there are those which run back- 
wards and forwards to Valparaiso, and the little island- 
trading schooners ; so that the Tahitians can boast of 



226 A FLINT ISLANDER. 

quite a respectable fleet of vessels, not imposing perhaps 
in point of tonnage, but as smart and serviceable-looking 
as could be desired. The trading schooners are really 
beautiful little craft, and I am sure that, if well kept and 
properly manned, they would show to no discredit among 
our smart yachts at Cowes. Not a day passes without 
one or more entering or leaving the harbor, returning 
from or bound to the lonely isles with which the south- 
west portion of the Pacific is studded. They are provided 
with, a patent log, but their captains, who are intelligent 
men, do not care much about a chronometer, as the dis- 
tances to be run are comparatively short and are easily 
judged. 

Mr. Godfroi gave us rather an amusing account of the 
manner in which their negotiations with the natives are 
conducted. The more civilized islanders have got beyond 
barter, and prefer hard cash in American dollars for their 
pearls, shells, cocoanuts, sandal-wood, &c. When they 
have received the money, they remain on deck for some 
time discussing their bargains among themselves. Then 
they peep down through the open skylights into the 
cabin below, where the most attractive prints and the 
gaudiest articles of apparel are temptingly displayed, 
alongside a few bottles of rum and brandy and a supply 
of tobacco. It is not long before the bait is swallowed ; 
down go the natives, the goods are sold, and the dollars 
have once more found their way back into the captain's 
hands. 

I had a long talk with one of the natives, who arrived 
to-day from Flint Island — ra most picturesque-looking in- 
dividual, dressed in scarlet and orange-colored flannel, 
and a mass of black, shiny, curly hair. Flint Island is a 
place whose existence has been disputed, it having been 
more than once searched for by ships in vain. It was, 
therefore, particularly interesting to meet some one who 
had actually visited, and had just returned from, the 
spot in question. That islands do occasionally disappear 



SOUTH SEA PEARLS. 



227 



entirely in these parts there can be little doubt. The 
Tahitian schooners were formerly in the habit of trading 
with a small island close to Rarotonga, whose name I 
forget ; but about four years ago, when proceeding thither 
with the usual three-monthly cargo of provisions, prints, 
&c, they failed to find the island, of which no trace has 
since been seen. Two missionaries from Rarotonga are 
believed to have been on it at the time of its disappear 
ance, and they seem to have shared its mysterious fate. 




A Tahitian Lady. 



Thursday, December 7th. — At eight o'clock I took Ma- 
belle and Muriel for a drive in a pony-carriage which 
had been kindly lent me, but with a hint that the horse 
was rather mc'chant sometimes. He behaved well on the 
present occasion, however, and we had a pleasant drive in 
the outskirts of the town for a couple of hours. 

Just as we returned, a gentleman came and asked me 
if I should like to see some remarkably fine pearls, and on 
my gladly consenting, he took me to his house, where I 
saw some pearls certainly worth going to look at, but too 



228 A TAHITI AN STORE. 

expensive for me, one pear-shaped gem alone having been 
valued at ,£1,000. I was told they came from a neighbor- 
ing island, and I was given two shells containing pearls in 
various stages of formation. 

It was now time to go on board to receive some friends 
whom we had invited to breakfast, and who arrived at 
about half-past eleven. 

After breakfast, and a chat, and an examination of the 
photograph books, &c, we all landed, and went to see 
Messrs. Brander's stores, where all sorts of requisites for 
fitting out ships and their crews can be procured. It is 
surprising to find how plentiful are the supplies of the 
necessaries and even the luxuries of civilized life in this 
far-away corner of the globe. You can even get ice here, 
for the manufacture of which a retired English infantry 
officer has set up an establishment with great success. But 
what interested me most were the products of this and the 
neighboring islands. There were tons of exquisitely tinted 
pearl shells, six or eight inches in diameter, formerly a 
valuable article of commerce, but now worth compara- 
tively little. The pearls that came out of them had un- 
fortunately been sent away to Liverpool — ^1,000 worth by 
this morning's, and ^5,000 by the last mail-ship. Then 
there was vanilla, a most precarious crop, which needs to 
be carefully watered and shaded from the first moment it 
is planted, and which must be gathered before it is ripe, 
and dried and matured in a moist heat, between blankets 
and feather-beds, in order that the pods may not crack 
and allow the essence to escape. We saw also edible 
fungus, exported to San Francisco, and thence to Hong 
Kong, solely for the use of the Chinese ; tripang, or bcclic- 
de-mer, a sort of sea-slug or holothuria, which, either living 
or dead, fresh or dried, looks equally untempting, but is 
highly esteemed by the Celestials ; coprah, or dried cocoa- 
nut kernels, broken into small pieces in order that they 
may stow better, and exported to England, and other 
parts, where the oil is expressed and oil-cake formed ; and 



SUPPLIES AT TAHITI. 



229 



various other articles of commerce. The trade of the 
island is fast increasing, the average invoice value of the ex- 
ports having risen from ,£8,400 in 1845 to £98,000 in 1874. 
These totals are exclusive of the value of the pearls, which 
would increase it by at least another £3,000 or £4,000. 

I speak from personal experience when I say that every 
necessary for life on board ship, and many luxuries, can 
be procured at Tahiti. American tinned fruits and vege- 
tables beat English ones hollow. Preserved milk is uncer- 
tain — sometimes better, sometimes worse, than what one 
buys at home. Tinned salmon is much better. Austra- 
lian mutton, New Zealand beef, and South Sea pork leave 
nothing to be desired in the way of preserved meat. 
Fresh beef, mutton, and butter are hardly procurable, 
and the latter, when preserved, is uneatable. I can never 
understand why they don't take to potting and salting 
down for export the best butter, at some large Irish or 
Devonshire farm, instead of reserving that process for 
butter which is just on the turn and is already almost un- 
fit to eat ; the result being that, long before it has reached 
a hot climate, it is only fit to grease carriage-wheels with. 
It could be done, and I feel sure it would pay, as good 
butter would fetch almost any price in many places. Some 
Devonshire butter, which we brought with us from Eng- 
land, is as good now, after ten thousand miles in the 
tropics, as it was when first put on board ; but a consider- 
able proportion is very bad, and was evidenty not in 
proper condition in the first instance. 

We had intended going afterwards to the coral reef 
with the children to have a picnic there, and had accord- 
ingly given the servants leave to go ashore for the even- 
ing ; but it came on to rain heavily, and we were obliged 
to return to the yacht instead. The servants had, how- 
ever, already availed themselves of the permission they 
had received, and there was therefore no one on board in 
their department ; so we had to unpack our basket and 
have our picnic on deck, under the awning, instead of on 



23° 



DRUGGED DRINK. 



the reef, which I think was almost as great a treat to the 
children. 

We have, I am sorry to say, had a good deal of trouble 
with some of our men here. One disappeared directly 
we arrived, and has never been seen since. Another 
came off suffering from delirium tremens and epileptic 
fits, brought on by drink. His cries and struggles were 
horrible to hear and witness. It took four strong men to 
hold him, and the doctor was up with him all last night. 
Nearly all the ships that come here have been at sea for 
a long time, and the men are simply wild when they get 
ashore. Some of the people know only too well how to 
take advantage of this state of things, and the consequence 
is that it is hardly safe for a sailor to drink a glass of grog, 
for fear that it should be drugged. No doubt there are 
respectable places to which the men could resort, but it is 
not easy for a stranger to find them out, and our men seem 
to have been particularly unfortunate in this respect. Tom 
talks of leaving two of them behind, and shipping four 
fresh hands, as our number is already rather short. 

Friday, December %th. — I persuaded Tom to make an- 
other excursion to the coral reef this morning, and at five 
o'clock he and Mabelle and I set off in the ' Flash,' just 
as the sun was rising. We had a delightful row, past the 
Quarantine Island, to the portion of the reef on the other 
side of the harbor, where we had not yet been, and where 
I think the coral plants and flowers and bushes showed 
to greater advantage than ever, as they were less crowded, 
and the occasional patches of sandy bottom enabled one 
to see them better. We were so. engrossed in our exam- 
ination of these marvels of the deep, and of the fish with 
which the water abounded, that we found ourselves 
aground several times, and our return to the yacht was 
consequently delayed. 

After breakfast I had another visit from a man with 
war-cloaks, shell-belts, tapa and reva-reva, which he brought 
on board for my inspection. It was a difficult task to 



CAPTAIN COOK'S TAMARIND TREE. 231 

make him understand what I meant, but at last I thought 
I had succeeded in impressing on his mind the fact that 
I wished to buy them, and that they would be paid for at 
the store. The sequel unfortunately proved that I was 
mistaken. At nine o'clock we set out for the shore, and 
after landing drove along the same road by which we had 
returned from our excursion round the island.* After 
seeing as much of the place as our limited time would 
allow, we re-entered the carriages and drove over to 
Fautahua, where we found the children and maids had 
arrived just before us. The grand piano, every table, 
and the drawing-room floor, were spread with the presents 
we were expected to take away with us. There were 
bunches of scarlet feathers, two or three hundred in num- 
ber, from the tail of the tropic bird, which are only al- 
lowed to be possessed and worn by chiefs, and which are 
of great value, as each bird produces only two feathers ; 
pearl shells, with corals growing on them ; red coral from 
the islands on the Equator, curious sponges and sea-weed, 
tapa cloth and reva-reva fringe, arrowroot and palm-leaf 
hats, cocoanut drinking-vessels, fine mats plaited in many 
patterns, and other specimens of the products of the 
island. 

All the members of the royal family at present in 
Tahiti had been invited to meet us, and arrived in due 
course, including the heir-apparent and his brother and 
sister. All the guests were dressed in the native costume, 
with wreaths on their heads and necks, and even the ser- 
vants — including our own, whom I hardly recognized — 
were similarly decorated. Wreaths had also been pre- 
pared for us, three of fragrant yellow flowers for Mabelle, 



* We paid a brief visit to Point Venus, whence Captain Cook 
observed the transit of Venus on November 9th, 1769, and we saw 
the lighthouse and tamarind-tree, which now mark the spot. The 
latter, from which we brought away some seed, was undoubtedly 
planted by Captain Cook with his own hand. 



232 



PRINCELY HOSPITALITY. 



Muriel, and myself, and others of a different kind for the 
gentlemen. 

When the feast was ready the Prince offered me his 
arm, and we all walked in a procession to a grove of ba- 
nanas in the garden through two lines of native servants, 
who, at a given signal, saluted us with three hearty Eng- 
lish cheers. We then continued our walk till we arrived 
at a house, built in the native style, by the side of a rocky 
stream, like a Scotch burn. The uprights of the house 
were banana-trees, transplanted with their leaves on, so ' 
as to shade the roof, which was formed of plaited cocoa- 
nut palm-leaves, each about fifteen feet long, laid trans- 
versely across bamboo rafters. From these light green 
supports and the dark green roof depended the yellow 
and brown leaves of the tJieve, woven into graceful gar- 
lands and elegant festoons. The floor was covered with 
the finest mats, with black and white borders, and the 
center strewn with broad green plantain-leaves, to form 
the tablecloth, on which were laid baskets and dishes, 
made of leaves sewed together, and containing all sorts 
of native delicacies. There were oysters, lobsters, wur- 
rali, and crayfish, stewed chicken, boiled sucking-pig, 
plantains, bread-fruit, melons, bananas, oranges, and straw- 
berries. Before each guest was placed a half cocoanut 
full of salt water, another full of chopped cocoanut, a 
third full of fresh water, and another full of milk, two 
pieces of bamboo, a basket of poi, half a bread-fruit, and 
a platter of green leaves, the latter being changed with 
each course. We took our seats on the ground round the 
green table. An address was first delivered in the na- 
tive language, grace was then said, and we commenced. 
The first operation was to mix the salt water and the 
chopped cocoanut together, so as to make an appetizing 
sauce, into which we were supposed to dip each morsel 
we ate, the empty salt-water bowl being filled up with 
fresh water with which to wash our fingers and lips. We 
were all tolerably successful in the use of our fingers as 



A NOVEL SCENE. 233 

substitutes for knives and forks, though we could not 
manage the performance quite so gracefully as those more 
accustomed to it. The only drawback, as far as the din- 
ner itself was concerned, was that it had to be eaten amid 
such a scene of novelty and beauty, that our attention 
was continually distracted. There was so much to ad- 
mire around one, both in the house itself and outside, 
where we could see the mountain stream, the groves of 
palms and bread-fruit, and beyond them the bright sea and 
the surf-beaten coral reef. After we had finished, all the 
servants sat down to dinner, and from a dais at one end 
of the room we surveyed the bright and animated scene, 
the gentlemen — and some of the ladies too — meanwhile 
enjoying their cigarettes. 

When we got down to Papiete, at about half-past four, 
so many things had to be done that it seemed impossible 
to accomplish a start this evening. First of all the two 
Princes came on board, and were shown round, after which 
there were accounts to be paid, linen to be got on board, 
and various other preparations to be made. Presently 
it was discovered that the cloaks I had purchased — or 
thought I had purchased — this morning had not turned 
up, and that our saddles had been left at Fautahua on 
Sunday and had been forgotten. The latter were imme- 
diately sent for, but although some one went on shore to 
look after the cloaks, nothing could be heard of them ; so 
I suppose I was not successful after all in making the 
man understand that he was to take them to the store and 
receive payment for them there. 

At six o'clock the pilot sent word that it was no longer 
safe to go out ; but steam was already up, and Tom there- 
fore decided to go outside the reef and wait there for the 
people and goods that were still on shore. At this mo- 
ment the saddles appeared in one direction, and the rest 
of the party in another. They were soon on board, the 
anchor was raised, and we began to steam slowly ahead, 
taking a last regretful look at Papiete as we left the har- 



234 



ALAS! FAREWELL. 



bor. By the time we were outside it was dark, the pilot 
went ashore, and we steamed full speed ahead. After 
dinner, and indeed until we went to bed, at half-past 
eleven, the lights along the shore were clearly visible, and 
the form of the high mountains behind could be distin- 
guished. 

Good-by, lovely Tahiti ! I wonder if I shall ever, see 
you again ; it makes me quite sad to think how small is 
the chance of my doing so. 



CHAPTER XV. 

TAHITI TO SANDWICH ISLANDS — KILAUEA BY DAY AND 
BY NIGHT. 

Metkinks it should have been impossible 
Not to love all things in a world so filled, 
Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still air 
Is music, slumbering on her instrument. 

Saturday, December 9^.— After leaving the harbor of 
Papiete we passed close to the island of Eimeo, on which 
we have gazed so often and with so much pleasure during 
the past week. It is considered the most beautiful island 
of the Georgian group, and we all regretted that we were 
unable to spare the time to visit it. From afar it is rather 
like the dolomite mountains in the Tyrol, and it is said 
that the resemblance is even more striking on a near ap- 
proach. The harbor is a long narrow gorge between high 
mountains, clothed with palms, oranges, and plantains, 
and is one of the most remarkable features of the place. 
Huahine is the island of which the Earl and the Doctor 
speak, in ' South Sea Bubbles,' in terms of such enthu- 
siasm, and Rarotonga is the head and center of all the 
missionary efforts of the present time in these parts. 

The weather to-day was fine, though we had occasional 
squalls of wind and rain. We were close-hauled, and the 
motion of the vessel was violent and disagreeable. I was 
very sea-sick, and was consoled to find that several of the 
men were so too. A head sea — or nearly so — is quite a 
novel experience for us of late, and we none of us like the 
change. 

235 



236 'A FISHERMAN'S COURSE. 

Sunday, December \oth. — Another squally day. Still 
close-hauled, and even then not on our course. We had 
- a short service at eleven, but it was as much as I could 
do to remain on deck. 

Monday, December nth. — Very like yesterday. We 
passed close to Flint and Vostok Islands, at the former 
of which I should have much liked to land. But it was 
a good deal to leeward of us ; there is no anchorage, 
and the landing, which is always difficult and sometimes 
impossible, has to be effected in native surf-boats. It 
would have been interesting to see a guano island, of 
which this is a perfect specimen. 

We had hoped to make the Caroline Islands before 
dark (not the Caroline Islands proper, but a group of low 
islets, whose position is very uncertainly indicated in the 
different charts and books) ; but the wind fell light, and 
as we could see nothing of them at sunset, although the 
view from the masthead extended at least fifteen miles in 
every direction, it was decided at eight o'clock to put the 
ship about, to insure not running en them or any of the 
surrounding reefs in the night. The currents run very 
swiftly between these islands, and it is impossible to tell 
your exact position, even a few hours after having taken 
an observation. 

Tuesday, December \2th. — The wind freshened imme- 
diately after we had changed our course last night, and 
fell light directly we had put about again this morning, 
so that it was fully 9 a.m. before we had regained our 
position of yesterday evening. 

Our compass-cards were getting worn out, and Tom 
gave out new ones before leaving Tahiti. I w r as very 
much amused to-night, when, as usual, just before going 
to bed, I went to have a look at the compass and see how 
the yacht was lying, and asked the man at the wheel 
what course he was steering. ' North and by west, half- 
east, ma'am,' he replied. ' That's a funny course,' I said ; 
' tell me again.' He repeated his statement ; whereupon 



OVER THE LIXE AG A IX. 



I remarked that the course was quite a new one to me. 
' Oh, yes, ma'am,' he answered, ' but them's the new com- 
pass-cards.' This man is one of the best helmsmen in the 
ship, but certainly seems to be an indifferent scholar. 

Friday, December \^th. — We crossed 
the line at half-past four this morning. 
Father Neptune was to have paid us 
another visit in the evening, but the 
crew were busy, and there were some 
difficulties about arranging the de- 
tails of the ceremony. The 
children were obliged, there- 
fore, to be con- 
tent with their 



usual game of 
drilling every 
one that they 
were able to 
muster for sol- 
diers, after the 
fashion of Cap- 
tain Brown's 
' rifle practice,' 
or marching 
up and down 
the deck to 
the strains of 
J em Butt's 
fiddle playing 
'Tommy make 

room for your uncle,' accompanied by the somewhat dis- 
cordant noise of their own drums. These amusements 
after sunset, and scrubbing decks and working at the 
pumps before sunrise, give us all the much - needed 
exercise it is impossible to take in the heat of the 
day-time. 

Saturday, December \6th. — At 1.30 a.m. I was awoke by 




Tattoo in the Tropics. 



23S 'WAITS' AT SEA. 

the strains of sweet music, and could rot at first imagine 
where I could be, or whence the sounds came. It proved 
to be the performance of some 'waits' on board. I do 
not know who originated the idea, but it was a very good 
one, and was excellently carried out. Everybody assem- 
bled on deck by degrees, and the songsters enjoyed a 
glass of grog when their labors were finished, after which 
we all went to bed again. 

It had fallen calm yesterday evening, and the funnel 
was raised at midnight, but the breeze sprang up again to- 
day, and at noon the fires were banked and the sails were 
set. Of course it then fell calm again, and at six o'clock 
we were once more proceeding under steam. There was 
one squall in the night, accompanied by the most tre- 
mendous rain I ever saw or heard. We talk of tropical 
rain in England, but the real thing is very different. It 
seemed just as if. the bottom of an enormous cistern over- 
head had suddenly been removed, allowing the contents 
to fall exactly on the spot where we were. The water 
came down in sheets, and was soon three or four inches 
deep on the deck, though it was pouring out of the scup- 
pers all the time as fast as possible. 

Sunday, December iyth. — A showery morning. We had 
Communion Service and hymns at eleven. In the after- 
noon it was too rough for ' church,' and Tom was unable 
to deliver his intended address to the men. 

Monday, December iSt/i. — We were close-hauled, with a 
strong north-east wind, and heavy squalls and showers at 
intervals. We saw several flying-fish and a good many 
birds, apparently hovering over a shoal of whales or gram- 
puses. It is wonderful how little life we have seen on this 
portion of our voyage. 

Tuesday, December igtk. — A fine day — wind rather more 
fair — sea still rough and disagreeable. I tried to work hard 
all day, but found it very difficult. 

Thursday, December 21st. — Wind variable and baffling 
— sometimes calm, sometimes squally, sometimes a nice 



ABSENTEE PILOT. 



2 39 



breeze. Sails were hoisted and lowered at least a dozen 
times, and fires were banked more than once. 

Friday, December 22d. — At 6.30 a.m. we made the island 
of Hawaii, rather too much to leeward, as we had been 
carried by the strong current at least eighteen miles out 
of our course. We were therefore obliged to beat up to 
windward, in the course of which operation we passed a' 
large bark running before the wind — the first ship we 
had seen since leaving Tahiti — and also a fine whale, blow- 
ing close to us. We could not see the high land in the 
center of the island, owing to the mist in which it was 
enveloped, and there was great excitement and much 
speculation on board as to the principal points which were 
visible. At noon the observations taken proved that Tom 
was right in his opinion as to our exact position. The 
wind dropped as wq approached the coast, where we could 
see the heavy surf dashing against the black lava cliffs, 
rushing up the little creeks, and throwing its spray in 
huge fountain-like jets high above the tall cocoanut-trees 
far inland. 

We sailed along close to the shore, and by two o'clock 
were near the entrance to the Bay of Hilo, In answer to 
our signal for a pilot a boat came off with a man who said 
he knew the entrance to the harbor, but informed us that 
the proper pilot had gone to Honolulu on a pleasure trip. 

It was a clear afternoon. The mountains, Mauna Kea 
and Mauna Loa, could be plainly seen from top to bot- 
tom, their giant crests rising nearly 14,000 feet above our 
heads, their tree and fern clad slopes seamed with deep 
gulches or ravines, down each of which a fertilizing river 
ran into the sea. Inside the reef, the white coral shore, 
on which the waves seemed too lazy to break, is fringed 
with a belt of cocoanut palms, amongst which, as well as 
on the hill-sides, the little white houses are prettily dotted. 
All are surrounded by gardens, so full of flowers that the 
bright patches of color were plainly visible even from the 
deck of the yacht. The harbor is large, and is exposed 



240 GARLANDS AND WREATHS. 

only to one bad wind, which is most prevalent during the 
winter months. Still, with good ground-tackle, there is 
not much to be feared, and there is one particular spot, 
sheltered by the Blonde reef, which is almost always safe. 
Here, accordingly, we have taken up our station, though 
it is rather far from the town. Sometimes it is impossible 
to land at Hilo itself for days together, but there is fortu- 
nately a little creek behind Cocoanut Island which is al- 
ways accessible. 

This afternoon the weather was all that could be de- 
sired, and at three o'clock we landed and went straight to 
Mr. Conway's store to make arrangements for going to the 
volcano of Kilauea to-morrow. Mr. Conway sent a man 
off at once on horseback to warn the people at the ' Half- 
way House ' and at ' Volcano House ' to make prepara- 
tions to receive our party — a necessary precaution, as vis- 
itors to the island are not numerous, and can only arrive 
by the monthly steamer from Honolulu. 

Having arranged this matter, we went for a stroll, 
among neat houses and pretty gardens, to the suspen- 
sion-bridge over the river, followed by a crowd of girls, all 
decorated with wreaths and garlands, and wearing almost 
the same dress that we had seen at Tahiti — a colored 
long-sleeved loose gown reaching to the feet. The natives 
here appear to affect duller colors than those we have 
lately been accustomed to, lilac, drab, brown, and other 
dark prints being the favorite tints. Whenever I stopped 
to look at a view, one of the girls would come behind 
me and throw a lei of flowers over my head, fasten it 
round my neck, and then run away laughing, to a distance, 
to judge of effect. The consequence was that, before 
the end of our walk, I had about a dozen wreaths, of va- 
rious colors and lengths, hanging round me, till I felt 
almost as if I had a fur tippet on, they made me so hot ; 
and yet I did not like to take them off for fear of hurting 
the poor girls' feelings. 

We walked along the river bank, and crossed to the 



AGILE MAIDENS. 241 

other side just below the rapids, jumping over the narrow 
channels through which the water hurried and rushed. 
Some of -our attendant girls carried Muriel and the dogs, 
and, springing barefooted from rock to rock, led us across 
the stream and up the precipitous banks on the other 
side. There is a sort of hotel here, kept by a Chinaman, 
where everything is scrupulously clean, and the food good, 
though plain. It is rather more like a lodging-house 
than a hotel, however. You hire your rooms, and are 
expected to make special arrangements for board. Before 
we got back to the yacht it had become dark, the moon 
had risen, and we could see the reflection in the sky of the 
fires in the crater of Kilauea. I do hope the volcano 
will be active to-morrow. It is never two days in the 
same condition, and visitors have frequently remained in 
the neighborhood of the crater for a week without seeing 
an eruption. 

The starlit sky, the bright young moon, and the red 
cloud from Kilauea, floating far above our heads, made up 
a most beautiful scene from the deck of the ' Sunbeam.' 

Saturday, December 23d. — The boatman who brought 
us off last night had told us that Saturday was market-day 
at Hilo, and that at five o'clock the natives would come in • 
from the surrounding country in crowds to buy their Sun- 
day and Christmas-Day provisions, and to bring their own 
produce for sale. We accordingly gave orders that the 
boat should come for us at a quarter to five, shortly before 
which we got up and went on deck. We waited patiently 
in the dark until half-past five, when, no boat appearing 
from the shore, the dinghy was manned and we landed. 
The lights in the town were all out, the day had hardly 
dawned, and there were no signs of life to be seen. At 
last we met two men, who told us we should find the 
market near the river, and offered to show us the Avay ; 
but when we arrived at the spot they had indicated we 
found only a large butcher's shop, and were informed 
that the regular market for fishj fruit, and other things 
16 



242 AN EARLY START FOR NOTHING. 

was held at five o'clock- in the afternoon instead of in the 
morning. We had thus had all our trouble for nothing, 
and the non-appearance of the boat was fully explained. 

Presently we met a friend who took us to his home. 
It was a pretty walk, by the side of the river and through 
numerous gardens, fresh with the morning dew. He gave 
us the latest news from the United States, and presented 
us with oranges and flowers, with which we returned to the 
yacht. We were on board again by seven, and, having 
packed up our things and sent them ashore, had an early 
breakfast, and landed, in readiness for our excursion to 
Kilauea. The baggage animals ought already to have 
started, but we found they had been kept back, in case 
we should happen to forget anything. Quite a crowd 
assembled to see us off,, and a good deal of gossip had to 
be got through, so that it was half-past nine before we 
were all mounted and fairly off. 

The first part of our way lay along the flat ground, gay 
with bright scarlet Guernsey lilies, and shaded by cocoa- 
nut-trees, between the town and the sea. Then we struck 
off to the right, and soon left the town behind us, emerg- 
ing into the open country. At a distance from the sea, 
Hilo looks as green as the Emerald Isle itself ; but on a 
closer inspection the grass turns out to be coarse and dry, 
and many of the trees look scrubby and half dead. Ex- 
cept in the ' gulches ' and the deep holes, between the 
hills, the island is covered with lava, in many places of so 
recent a deposit that it has not yet had time to decom- 
pose, and there is consequently only a thin layer of soil 
on its surface. This soil being, however, very rich, vege- 
tation flourishes luxuriantly for a time ; but as soon as 
the roots have penetrated a certain depth, and have come 
into contact with the lava, the trees wither up and perish, 
like the seed that fell on stony ground. 

The ohia trees form a handsome feature in the land- 
scape, with their thick tall stems, glossy foliage, and light 
crimson flowers. The fruit is a small, pink, waxy-looking 



CANDLE-NUT TREES. 



243 



apple, slightly acid, pleasant to the taste when you are 
thirsty. The candle-nut trees attain to a large size, and 
their light green foliage and white flowers have a very 
graceful appearance. Most of the foliage, however, is 
spoiled by a deposit of black dust, not unlike what one 
sees on the leaves in a London garden. I do not know 
whether this is caused by the fumes of the not far-dis- 
tant volcano, or whether it is some kind of mold or 
fungus. 

After riding about ten miles in the blazing sun we 
reached a forest, where the vegetation was quite tropical, 
though not so varied in its beauties as that of Brazil, or 
of the still more lovely South Sea Islands. There were 
ferns of various descriptions in the forest, and many fine 
trees, entwined, supported, or suffocated by numerous 
climbing plants, amongst which were blue and lilac con- 
volvulus, and magnificent passion-flowers. The protection 
from the sun afforded by this dense mass of foliage was 
extremely grateful ; but the air of the forest was close 
and stifling, and at the end of five miles we were glad to 
emerge once more into the open. The rest of the way 
lay over the hard lava, through a sort of desert of scrubby 
vegetation, occasionally relieved by clumps of trees in 
hollows. More than once we had a fine view of the sea, 
stretching away into the far distance, though it was some- 
times mistaken for the bright blue sky, until the surf 
could be seen breaking upon the black rocks, amid the 
encircling groves of cocoanut-trees. 

The sun shone fiercely at intervals, and the rain came 
down several times in torrents. The pace was slow, the 
road was dull and dreary, and many were the inquiries 
made for the ' Half-way House,' long before we reached 
it. We had still two miles farther to go, in the course 
of which we were drenched by a heavy shower. At last 
we came to a native house, crowded with people, where 
they were making tappa or kapa — the cloth made from 
the bark of the paper-mulberry. Here we stopped for a 



244 TAPPA MAKING. 

few minutes until our guide hurried us on, pointing out 
the church and the ' Half-way House ' just ahead. 

We were indeed glad to dismount after our weary ride, 
and rest in the comfortable rocking-chairs under the ve- 
randa. It is a small white wooden building, overhung with 
orange-trees, with a pond full of ducks and geese outside 
it, and a few scattered outbuildings, including a cooking 
hut, close by. A good-looking man was busy broiling 
beef-steaks, stewing chickens, and boiling taro, and we had 
soon a plentiful repast set before us, with the very weakest 
of weak tea as a beverage. The woman of the house, 
which contained some finely worked mats and clean-look- 
ing beds, showed us some tappa cloth, together with the 
mallets and other instruments used in its manufacture, 
and a beautiful orange-colored lei, or feather necklace, 
which she had made herself. The cloth and mallets were 
for sale, but no inducement would persuade her to part 
with the necklace. It was the first she had eyer made, 
and I was afterwards told that the natives are super- 
stitiously careful to preserve the first specimen of their 
handiwork, of whatever kind it may be. 

A woman dressed in a pink holoku and a light green 
apron had followed us hither from the cottages we had 
first stopped at, and I noticed at the time that, though 
she was chatting and laughing with a female companion, 
she did not seem very well. Whilst we were at lunch a 
sudden increase to her family took place, and before we 
were ready to start I paid her and her infant a visit. She 
was then sitting up, apparently as well as ever, and seemed 
to look upon the recent event as a very light matter. 

Directly we had finished our meal — about three o'clock 
— the guide came and tried to persuade us that, as the 
baggage-mules had not yet arrived,. it would be too late 
for us to go on to-day, and that we had better spend the 
night where we were, and start early in the morning. 
We did not, however, approve of this arrangement, so the 
horses were saddled, and, leaving word that the baggage- 



A PILLAR OF FIRE. 



245 



mules were to follow on as soon as posible, we mounted, 
and set off for the ' Volcano House.' We had not gone 
far before we were again overtaken by a shower, which 
once more drenched us to the skin. 

The scene was certainly one of extreme beauty. The 
moon was hidden by a cloud, and the prospect lighted only 
by the red glare of the volcano, which hovered before and 
above us like the Israelites' pillar of fire, giving us hopes 
of a splendid spectacle when we should at last reach the 
long wished-for crater. Presently the moon shone forth 
again, and gleamed and glistened on the rain-drops and 
silver-grasses till they looked like fireflies and glowworms. 
At last, becoming impatient, we proceeded slowly on our 
way, until we met a man on horseback, who hailed us in a 
cheery voice with an unmistakable American accent. It 
was the landlord of the ' Volcano House,' Mr. Kane, who, 
fearing from the delay that we had met with some mishap, 
had started to look for us. He explained that he thought 
it was only his duty to look after and help ladies visiting 
the volcano, and added that he had intended going down 
as far as the ' Half-way House' in search of us. It was a 
great relief to know that we were in the right track, and I 
quite enjoyed the gallop through the dark forest, though 
there was barely sufficient light to enable me to discern 
the horse immediately in front of me. When we emerged 
from the wood, we found ourselves at the very edge of 
the old crater, the bed of which, three or four hundred 
feet beneath us, was surrounded by steep and in many 
places overhanging sides. It looked like an enormous 
caldron, four or five miles in width, full of a mass of 
cooled pitch. In the center was the still glowing stream 
of dark red lava, flowing slowly towards us, and in every 
direction were red-hot patches, and flames and smoke 
issuing from the ground. A bit of the ' black country ' at 
night, with all the coal-heaps on fire, would give you some 
idea of the scene. Yet the first sensation is rather one of 
disappointment, as one expects greater activity on the 



246 YULE-TIDE IN HAWAII. 

part of the volcano ; but the new crater was still to be 
seen, containing the lake of fire, with steep walls rising up 
in the midst of the sea of lava. 

Twenty minutes' hard riding brought us to the door 
of the ' Volcano House,' from which issued the comfort- 
ing light of a large wood fire, reaching half-way up the 
chimney. Native garments replaced Mabelle's and my 
dripping habits, and we sat before the fire in luxury until 
the rest of the party arrived. After some delay supper 
was served, cooked by our host, and accompanied by ex- 
cellent Bass's beer, no wine or spirits being procurable on 
the premises. Mr. Kane made many apologies for short- 
comings, explaining that his cook had run away that 
morning, and that his wife was not able to do much to 
assist him, as her first baby was only a week old. 

Everything at this inn is most comfortable, though 
the style is rough and ready. The interior is just now 
decorated for Christmas, with wreaths, and evergreens, 
and ferns, and bunches of white plumes, not unlike reva- 
reva, made from the pith of the silver-grass. The beds 
and bedrooms are clean, but limited in number, there be- 
ing only three of the latter altogether. The rooms are 
separated only by partitions of grass, seven feet high, so 
that there is plenty of ventilation, and the heat of the fire 
permeates the whole building. But you must not talk- 
secrets in these dormitories or be too restless. I was 
amused to find, in the morning, that I had unconsciously 
poked my hand through the wall of our room during the 
night. 

The grandeur of the view in the direction of the vol- 
cano increased as the evening wore on. The fiery cloud 
above the present crater augmented in size and depth of 
color ; the extinct crater glowed red in thirty or forty 
different places ; and clouds of white vapor issued from 
every crack and crevice in the ground, adding to the sul- 
phurous smell with which the atmosphere was laden. 
Our room faced the volcano: there were no blinds,, and I 



THE VOLCANO HOUSE. 



247 



drew back the curtains and lay watching the splendid 
scene until I fell asleep. 

Sunday, December 24th [Christmas Eve). — I was up at 
four o'clock, to gaze once more on the wondrous spectacle 
that lay before me. The molten lava still flowed in many 
places, the red cloud over the fiery lake was bright as 
ever, and steam was slowly ascending in every direction, 
over hill and valley, till, as the sun rose, it became diffi- 
cult to distinguish clearly the sulphurous vapors from 
the morning mists. We walked down to the Sulphur 
Banks, about a quarter of a mile from the ' Volcano 
House,' and burned our gloves and boots in our endeav- 
ors to procure crystals, the beauty of which generally dis- 
appeared after a very short exposure to the air. We suc- 
ceeded, however, in finding a few good specimens, and, 
by wrapping them at once in paper and cotton-wool and 
putting them into a bottle, hope to bring them home un- 
injured. 

On our return we found a gentleman who had just 
arrived from Kau, and who proposed to join us in our 
expedition to the crater, and at three o'clock in the after- 
noon we set out, a party of eight, w r ith two guides, and 
three porters to carry our wraps and provisions, and to 
bring back specimens. Before leaving the inn the land- 
lord came to us and begged us in an earnest and confiden- 
tial manner to be very careful, to do exactly what our 
guides told us, and especially to follow in their footsteps 
exactly when returning in the dark. He added, ' There 
never has been an accident happen to anybody from my 
house, and I should feel real mean if one did : but there 
have been a power of narrow escapes.' 

First of all we descended the precipice, 300 feet in 
depth, forming the wall of the old crater, but now thickly 
covered with vegetation. It is so steep in many places 
that flights of zig-zag wooden steps have been inserted 
in the face of the cliff in some places, in order to render 
the descent practicable. At the bottom we stepped 



248 . THE CRATER OF KILAUEA. 

straight on to the surface of cold boiled lava, which we had 
seen from above last night. Even here, in every crevice 
where a few grains of soil had collected, delicate little 
ferns might be seen struggling for life, and thrusting out 
their green fronds towards the light. It was the most 
extraordinary walk imaginable over that vast plain of 
lava, twisted and distorted into every conceivable shape 
and form, according to the temperature it had originally 
attained, and the rapidity with which it had cooled, its 
surface, like half-molten glass, cracking and breaking be- 
neath our feet. Sometimes we came to a patch that 
looked like the contents of a pot, suddenly petrified in 
the act of boiling ; sometimes the black iridescent lava 
had assumed the form of waves, or more frequently of 
huge masses of rope, twisted and coiled together ; some- 
times it was piled up like a collection of organ-pipes, or 
had gathered into mounds and cones of various dimen- 
sions. As we proceeded the lava became hotter and hot- 
ter, and from every crack arose gaseous fumes, affecting 
our noses and throats in a painful manner ; till at last, 
when we had to pass to leeward of the molten stream 
flowing from the lake, the vapors almost choked us, and 
it was with difficulty we continued to advance. The lava 
was more glassy and transparent-looking, as if it had been 
fused at a higher temperature than usual ; and the crys- 
tals of sulphur, alum, and other minerals, with which it 
abounded, reflected the light in bright prismatic colors. 
In places it was quite transparent, and we could see be- 
neath it the long streaks of a stringy kind of lava, like 
brown spun glass, called ' Eele's hair.' 

At last we reached the foot of the present crater, and 
commenced the ascent of the outer wall. Many times the 
thin crust gave way beneath our guide, and he had to re- 
tire quickly from the hot, blinding, choking fumes that 
immediately burst forth. But we succeeded in reaching 
the top ; and then what a sight presented itself to our as- 
tonished eyes ! I could neither speak nor move at first, 



THE LAKE OF FIRE. 



249 



but could only stand and gaze at the terrible grandeur of 
the scene. 

We were standing on the extreme edge of a precipice, 
overhanging a lake of molten fire, a hundred feet below us, 
and nearly a mile across. Dashing against the cliffs on 
the opposite side, with a noise like the roar of a stormy 
ocean, waves of blood-red, fiery, liquid lava hurled their 
billows upon an iron-bound headland, and then rushed up 
the face of the cliffs to toss their gory spray high in the 
air. The restless, heaving lake boiled and bubbled, never 
remaining the same for two minutes together. Its normal 
color seemed to be a dull dark red, covered with a thin 
gray scum, which every moment and in every part swelled 
and cracked, and emitted fountains, cascades, and whirl- 
pools of yellow and red fire, while sometimes one big 
golden river, sometimes four or five, flowed across it. 
There was an island on one side of the lake, which the 
fiery waves seemed to attack unceasingly with relentless 
fury, as if bent on hurling it from its base. On the other 
side was a large cavern, into which the burning mass 
rushed with a loud roar, breaking down in its impetuous 
headlong career the gigantic stalactites that overhung the 
mouth of the cave, and flinging up the liquid material for 
the formation of fresh ones. 

It was all terribly grand, magnificently sublime ; but 
no words could adequately describe such a scene. The 
precipice on which we were standing overhung the crater 
so much that it was impossible to see what was going on 
immediately beneath ; but from the columns of smoke 
and vapor that arose, the flames and sparks that con- 
stantly drove us back from the edge, it was easy to im- 
agine that there must have been two or three grand fiery 
fountains below. As the sun set, and darkness enveloped 
the scene, it became more awful than ever. We retired a 
little way from the brink, to breathe some fresh air, and 
to try and eat the food we had brought with us ; but this 
was an impossibility. Every instant a fresh explosion or 



250 



TERRIBLY GRAND. 



glare made us jump up to survey the stupendous scene. 
The violent struggles of the lava to escape from its fiery 
bed, and the loud and awful noises by which they were at 
times accompanied, suggested the idea that some impris- 
oned monsters were trying to release themselves from 
their bondage, with shrieks and groans, and cries of agony 
and despair, at the futility of their efforts. 

Sometimes there were at least seven spots on the 
borders of the lake where the molten lava dashed up 
furiously against the rocks — seven fire-fountains playing 
simultaneously. With the increasing darkness the colors 
emitted by the glowing mass became more and more 
wonderful, varying from the deepest jet-black to the 
palest gray, from darkest maroon, through cherry and 
scarlet, to the most delicate pink, violet, and blue ; from 
the richest brown, through orange and yellow, to the light- 
est straw-color. And there was yet another shade, only 
describable by the term ' molten-lava color.' Even the 
smokes and vapors were rendered beautiful by their bor- 
rowed lights and tints, and the black peaks, pinnacles, 
and crags, which surrounded the amphitheater, formed a 
splendid and appropriate background. Sometimes great 
pieces broke off and tumbled with a crash into the burning 
lake, only to be remelted and thrown up anew. I had for 
some time been feeling very hot and uncomfortable, and on 
looking round the cause was at once apparent. Not two 
inches beneath the surface, the gray lava on which we 
were standing and sitting was red-hot. A stick thrust 
through it caught fire, a piece of paper was immediately 
destroyed, and the gentlemen found the heat from the 
crevices so great that they could not approach near 
enough to light their pipes. 

One more long last look, and then we turned our faces 
away from the scene that had enthralled us for so many 
hours. The whole of the lava we had crossed, in the ex- 
tinct crater, was now aglow in many patches, and in all di- 
rections flames were bursting forth, fresh lava was flowing, 



OVER A FURNACE. 



251 



and steam and smoke were issuing from the surface. It 
was a toilsome journey back again, walking as we did in 
single file, and obeying the strict injunctions of our head 
guide to follow him closely, and to tread exactly in his 
footsteps. On the whole it was easier by night than by 
day to distinguish the route to be taken, as we could now 
see the dangers that before we could only feel ; and many 
were the fiery crevices we stepped over or jumped across. 
Once I slipped, and my foot sank through the thin crust. 
Sparks issued from the ground, and the stick on which I 
leaned caught fire before I could fairly recover myself. 

Either from the effects of the unaccustomed exercise 
after our long voyage, or from the intense excitement of 
the novel scene, combined with the gaseous exhalations 
from the lava, my strength began to fail, and before 
reaching the side of the crater I felt quite exhausted. I 
struggled on at short intervals, however, collapsing several 
times and fainting away twice ; but at last I had fairly to 
give in, and to allow myself to be ignominiously carried 
up the steep precipice to the ' Volcano House ' on a chair, 
which the guides went to fetch for me. 

It was half-past eleven when we once more found our- 
selves beneath Mr. Kane's hospitable roof; he had ex- 
pected us to return at nine o'clock, and was beginning to 
feel anxious about us. 

Monday, December 2^th (Christmas Day). — Turning in 
last night was the work of a very few minutes, and this 
morning I awoke perfectly refreshed and ready to appre- 
ciate anew the wonders of the prospect that met my eyes. 
The pillar of fire was still distinctly visible when I looked 
out from my window, though it was not so bright as when 
I had last seen it ; but even as I looked it began to fade, 
and gradually disappeared. At the same moment a river 
of glowing lava issued from the side of the bank we had 
climbed with so much difficulty yesterday, and slowly but 
surely overflowed the ground we had walked over. I 
woke Tom, and you may imagine the feelings with which 



252 



A NEW FLOW OF LAVA. 



we gazed upon this startling phenomenon, which, had it 
occurred a few hours earlier, might have caused the de- 
struction of the whole party. If our expedition had been 
made to-day instead of yesterday, we should certainly 
have had to proceed by a different route to the crater, 
and should have looked down on the lake of fire from a 
different spot. 

I cannot hope that in my attempt to give you some 
idea of Kilauea as we beheld it, I shall be successful in 
conveying more than a very faint impression of its glories. 
I feel that my description is so utterly inadequate, that, 
were it not for the space, . I should be tempted to send 
you in full the experiences of previous visitors, as nar- 
rated in Miss Bird's ' Six Months in the Sandwich Islands,' 
and Mr. Bodham Whetham's ' Pearls of the Pacific' The 
account contained in the former work I had read before 
arriving here ; the latter I enjoyed at the ' Volcano House.' 
Both are well worth reading by any one who feels an 
interest in the subject. 

It would, I think, be difficult to imagine a more in- 
teresting and exciting mode of spending Christmas Eve 
than yesterday has taught us, or a stranger situation in 
which to exchange our Christmas greetings than beneath 
the grass roof of an inn on the edge of a volcano in the 
remote Sandwich Islands. They were certainly rendered 
none the less cordial and sincere by the novelty of our 
position, and I think we are all rather glad not to have 
in prospect the inevitable feastings and ceremonies with- 
out which it seems to be impossible to commemorate this 
season in England. If we had seen nothing but Kilauea 
since we left home, we should have been well rewarded 
for our long voyage. 

At six o'clock we were dressed and packed. Break- 
fast followed at half-past, and at seven we were prepared 
for a start. Our kind, active host, and his wife and baby, 
all came out to see us off. The canter over the dewy 
grass, in the fresh morning air, was most invigorating. 



THE YOUNG MOTHER. 



2 53 



It was evident that no one had passed along the road 
since Saturday night, for we picked up several waifs and 
strays dropped in the dark on our way up — a whip, a 
stirrup, mackintosh hood, &c. 

By half-past ten we had reached the ' Half-way House,' 
where we were not expected so early, and where we had 
ample opportunity to observe the native ways of living, 
while waiting for our mid-day meal — an uninteresting 
mess of stewed fowl and taro, washed down with weak 
tea. After it was over I made an unsuccessful attempt 
to induce the woman of the house to part with her 
orange-colored lei. I bought some tappa and mallets, 
however, with some of the markers- used in coloring the 
cloth, and a few gourds and calabashes, forming part of 
the household furniture. While the horses were being 
saddled preparatory to our departure, Mabelle and I 
went to another cottage close by, to see the mother of 
the baby that had been born while we were here on 
Saturday. She was not at home ; but we afterwards 
found her playing cards with some of her friends in a 
neighboring hut. Quite a large party of many natives 
were gathered together, not the least cheerful of whom 
was the young mother whose case had interested me so 
much. 

The rest of the ride down to Hilo was as dull and 
monotonous as our upward journey had been, although, 
in order to enable us to get over it as quickly as possible, 
fresh horses had been sent to meet us. At last we 
reached the pier, where we found the usual little crowd 
waiting to see us off. The girls who had followed me 
when we first landed came forward shyly when they 
thought they were unobserved, and again encircled me 
with lets of gay and fragrant flowers. The custom of 
decorating themselves with wreaths on every possible oc- 
casion is in my eyes a charming one, and I like the in- 
habitants of Polynesia for their love of flowers. They 
are as necessary to them as the air they breathe, and I 



254 JACK ASHORE. 

think the missionaries make a mistake in endeavoring to 
repress so innocent and natural a taste. 

The whole town was en fete to-day. Natives were 
riding about in pairs, in the cleanest of bright cotton 
dresses and the freshest of lets and garlands. Our own 
men from the yacht contributed not a little to the gayety 
of the scene. They were all on shore, and the greater 
part of them were galloping about on horseback, tumbling 
off, scrambling on again, laughing, flirting, joking, and en- 
joying themselves generally after a fashion peculiar to 
English sailors. As far as we know the only evil result of 
all this merriment was that the doctor received a good 
many applications for diachylon plaster in the course of 
the evening, to repair various ' abrasions of the cuticle,' as 
he expressed it. 

I think at least half the population of Hilo had been 
on board the yacht in the course of the day, as -a* Christ- 
mas treat. At last we took a boat and went off too, ac- 
companied by Mr. Lyman. The appearance of the ' Sun- 
beam ' from the shore was very gay, and as we approached 
it became more festive still. All her masts were tipped 
with sugar-canes in bloom. Her stern was adorned with 
flowers, and in the arms of the figure-head was a large 
bouquet. She was surrounded with boats, the occupants 
of which cheered us heartily as we rowed alongside. The 
gangway was decorated with flowers, and surmounted by 
a triumphal arch, on which were inscribed ' Welcome 
Home,' 'A Merry Christmas,' 'A Happy New Year,' and 
other good wishes. The whole deck was festooned with 
tropical plants and flowers, and the decorations of the 
cabins were even more beautiful and elaborate. I believe 
all hands had been hard at work ever since we left to pro- 
duce this wonderful effect, and every garden in Hilo had 
furnished a contribution to please and surprise^ us on our 
return. 

The choir from Hilo came out in boats in the evening, 
sang all sorts of songs, sacred aijd secular, and cheered 



CHRISTMAS DAY AT HILO. 



255 



everybody till they were hoarse. After this, having had a 
cold dinner, in order to save trouble, and having duly 
drunk the health of our friends at home, we all adjourned 
to the saloon, to assist in the distribution of some Christ- 
mas presents, a ceremony which afforded great delight to 
the children, and which was equally pleasing to the elder 
people and to the crew, if one may judge from their be- 
havior on the occasion. 

Then we sat on deck, gazing at the cloud of fire over 
Kilauea, and wondering if the appearance of the crater 
could ever be grander than it was last night, when we 
were standing on its brim. 

So ended Christmas Day, 1876, at Hilo, in Hawaii. 
God grant that there may be many more as pleasant for 
us in store in the future ! 



CHAPTER XVI. 

HAWAIIAN SPORTS. 

In wrestling nimble, and in running swift, 

In shooting steady, and in swimming strong, 
Well made to strike, to leap, to throw, to lift, 
And all the sports that shepherds are among. 

Tuesday, December 26th. — We went ashore at eight 
o'clock, after an early cup of coffee, and found Mr. Lyman 
already waiting for us. Two baggage-mules were sent off 
with the photographic apparatus, and all the materials for 
breakfast, to the Rainbow Falls, where the children are 
looking forward with intense glee to boiling their own 
kettle, poaching their own eggs, and trying other cooking 
experiments. 

Before setting out for the Falls ourselves, we went 
to see the national sport of surf-swimming, for their skill 
in which the Hawaiians are so justly famed. 

The natives have many other games of which they are 
very fond, and which they play with great skill, including 
spear-throwing, transfixing an object with a dart, kona, an 
elaborate kind of draughts, and tain, which consists in 
hiding a small stone under one of five pieces of cloth, 
placed in front of the players. One hides the stone, and 
the others have to guess where it is ; and it generally 
happens that, however dexterously the hider may put his 
arm beneath the cloth, and dodge about from one piece 
to another, a clever player will be able to tell, by the 
movement of the muscles of the upper part of his arm, 
when his fingers relax their hold of the stone. Another 
game, called parua, is very like the Canadian sport of 

256 



HA 1 1 T , I II A NS ' GA ME S. 



257 



' tobogging,' only that it is carried on on the grass instead 
of on the snow. The performers stand bolt upright on a 
narrow plank, turned up in front, and steered with a sort 
of long paddle. They go to the top of a hill or mountain, 
and rush down the steep, grassy, sunburnt slopes at a tre- 
mendous pace, keeping their balance in a wonderful man- 
ner. There is also a very popular amusement, called fla/ic, 
requiring a specially prepared smooth floor, along which 
the javelins of the players glide like snakes. On the same 
floor they also play at another game, called maita, or uru 
maita. Two sticks, only a few inches apart, are stuck 
into the ground, and at a distance of thirty or forty yards 
the players strive to throw a stone between them. The 
uru which they use for the purpose is a hard circular stone, 
three or four inches in diameter, and an inch in thickness 
at the edge, but thicker in the middle. 

Mr. Ellis, in his ' Polynesian Researches/ states that 
' these stones are finely polished, highly valued, and care- 
fully preserved, being always oiled or wrapped up in na- 
tive cloth after having been used. The people are, if 
possible, more fond of this game than of the pahd, and 
the inhabitants of a district not unfrcquently challenge 
the people of the whole island, or the natives of one island 
those of all the others, to bring a man who shall try his 
skill with some favorite player of their own district or 
island. On such occasions seven or eight thousand peo- 
ple, men and women, with their chiefs and chiefesses, as- 
semble to witness the sport, which, as well as the paJid, is 
often continued for hours together.' 

With bows and arrows they are as clever as all savages, 
and wonderfully good shots, attempting many wonderful 
feats. They are as swift as deer, when they choose, though 
somewhat lazy and indolent. All the kings and chiefs have 
been special adepts in the invigorating pastime of surf- 
swimming, and the present king's sisters are considered 
first-rate hands at it. The performers begin by swimming 
out into the bay, and diving under the huge Pacific rollers, 
17 



258 FEATS IN THE SURF. 

pushing their surf-boards — flat pieces of wood, about four 
feet long by two wide, pointed at each end — edgewise be- 
fore them. For the return journey they select a large 
wave ; and then, either sitting, kneeling, or standing on 
their boards, rush in shorewards with the speed of a race- 
horse, on the curling crest of the monster, enveloped in 
foam and spray, and holding on, as it were, by the . milk- 
white manes of their furious coursers. It looked a most en- 
joyable amusement, and I should think that, to a powerful 
swimmer, with plenty of pluck, the feat is not difficult of 
accomplishment. The natives here are almost amphibious. 
They played all sorts of tricks in the water, some of the 
performers being quite tiny boys. Four strong rowers 
took a whale-boat out into the worst surf, and then, steer- 
ing her by means of a large oar, brought her safely back 
to the shore on the top of a huge wave. 

After the conclusion of this novel entertainment, we 
all proceeded on horseback to the Falls, Baby going in 
front of Tom, and Muriel riding with Mr. Freer. After 
a couple of miles we dismoin^ed, and had a short walk 
through grass and ferns to a pretty double water-fall, tum- 
bling over a cliff, about 100 feet high, into a glassy pool 
of the river beneath. It fell in front of a fern-filled black 
lava cavern, over which a rainbow generally hangs. As it 
was too wet to sit on the grass after the rain, we took 
possession of the veranda of a native house, commanding 
a fine view of the bay and town of Hilo. The hot coffee 
and eggs were a great success eventually, though the smoke 
from the wood fire nearly suffocated us in the process of 
cooking. Excellent also was some gray mullet, brought 
to us alive, and cooked native fashion, — wrapped up in ti 
leaves, and put into a hole in the ground. 

After taking a few photographs it was time to return ; 
and we next went to a pretty garden, which we had seen 
on the night of our arrival, and, tying up our horses out- 
side, walked across it to the banks of the river. Here we 
found a large party assembled, watching half the popula- 



A HUNDRED-FEET JUMP. 259 

tion of Hilo disporting themselves in, upon, and beneath 
the water. They climbed the almost perpendicular rocks 
on the opposite side of the stream, took headers, and 
footers, and siders from any height under five-and-twenty 
feet, dived, swam in every conceivable attitude, and with- 
out any apparent exertion, deep under the water, or upon 
its surface. But all this was only a preparation for the 
special sight we had come to see. Two natives were to 
jump from a precipice 100 feet high, into the river below, 
clearing on their way a rock which projected some twenty 
feet from the face of the cliff, at about the same distance 
from the summit. The two men, tall, strong, and sinewy, 
suddenly appeared against the sky-line, far above our 
heads, their long hair bound back by a wreath of leaves 
and flowers, while another garland encircled their waists. 
Having measured their distance with an eagle's glance, 
they disappeared from our sight, in order to take a run 
and acquire the necessary impetus. Every breath was 
held for a moment, till one of the men reappeared, took a 
bound from the edge r " the rock, turned over in mid- 
air, and disappeared feet foremost into the pool beneath, 
to emerge almost immediately, and to climb the sunny 
bank as quietly as if he had done nothing very wonderful. 
His companion followed, and then the two clambered up 
to the twenty-feet projection, to clear which they had had 
to take such a run the first time, and once more plunged 
into the pool below. The feat was of course an easier one 
than the first ; but still a leap of eighty feet is no light 
matter. A third native, who joined them in this exploit, 
gave one quite a turn as he twisted in his downward jump ; 
but he also alighted in the water feet foremost, and bobbed 
up again directly, like a cork. He was quite a young man, 
and we afterwards heard that he had broken several ribs 
not more than a year ago, and had been laid up for six 
months in the hospital. 

We now moved our position a little higher up the 
river, to the Falls, over which the men, gliding down the 



260 NEREIDS. 

shallow rapids above, in a sitting posture, allowed them- 
selves to be carried. It looked a pleasant and easy feat, 
and was afterwards performed by many of the natives in 
all sorts of ways. Two or three of them would hold each 
other's shoulders, forming a child's train, or some would 
get on the backs of their companions, while others de- 
scended singly in a variety of attitudes. At last a young 
girl was also persuaded to attempt the feat. She looked 
very pretty as she started, in her white chemise and 
bright garland, and prettier still when she emerged from 
the white foam beneath the fall, and swam along far be- 
low the surface of the clear water, with her long black 
hair streaming out behind her. 

No description can give you any idea what an animated 
and extraordinary scene it was altogether. While our 
accounts were being settled, preparatory to our departure, 
I occupied myself in looking at some kahilis and feather 
lets. The yellow ones, either of Oo or Mamo feathers, 
only found in this island, are always scarce, as the use of 
them is a prerogative of royalty and nobility. Just now 
it is almost impossible to obtain one, all the feathers be- 
ing ' tabu,' to make a royal cloak for Ruth, half-sister of 
Kamehameha V., and governess of Hawaii. Mamo feath- 
ers are generally worth a dollar apiece, and a good lei or 
loose necklace costs about five hundred dollars. Kahilis 
are also an emblem of rank, though many people use them 
as ornaments in their houses. They are rather like feath- 
er-brooms, two or three feet long, and three or four inches 
across, made of all sorts of feathers, tastefully interwoven. 
I bought one, and a couple of ordinary lets, which were 
all I could procure. But, alas ! too soon all was over, and 
time for us to go on board. 

On our way off to the yacht we met one of the large 
double canoes coming in under sail from a neighboring 
island. It consisted of two canoes lashed together, with 
a sort of basket dropped into the water between them, to 
enable them to carry their fish alive. They are not very 



THE LEPER ISLAND. 26 1 

common now, and we were therefore fortunate in meeting 
with one. Mr. Lyman made the men in charge turn her 
round, so as to afford us an opportunity of thoroughly 
examining her. In the time of Kamehameha there was a 
fleet of 10,000 of these canoes, and the king used to send 
them out in the roughest weather, and make them per- 
form all sorts of manoeuvres. 

We found the yacht in the usual state of confusion 
incidental to a fresh departure, but everything was soon 
reduced to order, and off we started to steam and sail 
round the north end of the island, but we could not afford 
time to visit the place of Captain Cook's death and burial 
in Keelakeakua Bay. I believe there is not a great deal 
to see, however, and the spot is chiefly interesting from 
its associations. For many years a copper plate, fixed 
to a cocoanut-tree, marked the spot where Cook fell, 
but this has now been replaced by a monument, the cost 
of which was defrayed by subscriptions at Honolulu. 
Maui is, I believe, a charming place, containing many fine 
plantations, and several, gentlemen's estates, laid out in 
the English style. Unfortunately, time forbids our accept- 
ing some invitations we have received to visit 1 the island, 
where a great many interesting excursions may be made. 

At Kahoolaue there does not seem much to be seen. 
It was purchased some years ago, and pays well as a sheep- 
run. Lauai, the next island, is scarcely inhabited, and 
its scenery is not remarkable. 

A sad interest attaches to the island of Molokai, which 
is situated midway between Maui and Oahu. It is the 
leper settlement, and to it all the victims of this terrible, 
loathsome, and incurable disease, unhappily so prevalent 
in the Hawaiian archipelago, are sent, in order to prevent 
the spread of the contagion. They are well cared for 
and looked after in everyway; but their life, separated' 
as they inevitably are from all they hold most dear, and 
with no prospect before them but that of a slow and 
cruel death, must indeed be a miserable one. In Molokai 



2 6 2 HONOLULU. 

there are many tiny children fatherless and motherless, 
parents without children, husbands without wives, wives 
without husbands, ' all condemned,' as Miss Bird says, 
' to watch the repulsive steps by which each of their 
doomed fellows goes down to a loathsome death, know- 
ing that by the same they too must pass.' A French 
priest has nobly devoted himself to the religious and sec- 
ular instruction of the lepers, and up to the present time 
has enjoyed complete immunity from the disease ; but 
even if he escapes this danger he can never return to his 
country and friends. When one thinks what that implies, 
and to what a death in life he has condemned himself for 
the sake of others, it seems impossible to doubt that he 
will indeed reap a rich reward hereafter. 

At two o'clock we saw Diamond Head, the eastern- 
most headland of Oahu, rising from the sea. By four 
o'clock we were abreast of it, and steaming along the 
coast. The cape itself rises grandly from the midst of a 
grove of cocoanuts, and the shore all along, with the 
sharp high mountains of the Pali as a background, is fine 
and picturesqtie. A coral reef stretches far into the sea, 
and outside this we lay waiting for a pilot to take us into 
Honolulu Harbor. 

It was a long business mooring us by hawsers, from 
our stem and stern, but we were at last safely secured in 
a convenient place, a short distance from the shore, and 
where we should be refreshed by the sea breeze and the 
land breeze alternately. It was six o'clock, and nearly 
dark, when we reached the shore ; the town seemed en- 
tirely deserted ; all the little wooden houses were shut 
up, and there were no lights visible. The post-office was 
closed, but it was a terrible blow to hear there were no 
letters for us, though we still hoped that there might be 
some at the British Consulate. 

After a short time we returned on board the yacht in 
time for a late dinner. The first lieutenant of H.M.S. 
' Fantome ' came on board to pay us a visit during the 



THE TOWN. 



263 



evening, and told us all the latest English and American 
news, lending us some files of English papers — a great 
treat, but no compensation for our disappointment about 
the letters. 

Thursday, December 22>th. — Tom and I went ashore 
at seven o'clock to make arrangements for repairing our 
mizzen-sail. We soon found a sailmaker, who promised 
to set all hands to work and complete the job as quickly 
as possible. Being detained by a heavy shower of rain, 
we occupied the time in a gossip about Honolulu and 
its sayings and doings. When the shower was over, we 
walked through the town, which is clean and tidy, be- 
ing laid out in squares, after the American style. The 
houses are all of wood, and generally have verandas 
overhanging the street. They are seldom more than one 
story high, and nearly all have a little greenery about 
them. 

We returned to the yacht for breakfast, and, having 
heard that no sharks ever came into the long, narrow bay, 
were able to enjoy, in perfect peace of mind, the luxury 
of a bath overboard. It is a great pity that in the trop- 
ics, where bathing is such a delightful occupation, and 
where one might swim and paddle about for hours with- 
out fear of getting cold, it is often impossible even to 
enter the water for fear of the sharks. The natives are 
such expert swimmers that they do not seem to think 
much of this danger. As the shark turns on his back to 
take a bite at them, they dive underneath him, and he 
snaps his jaws on emptiness. In fact, sometimes the 
swimmer will take advantage of the opportunity to stab 
his enemy as he passes beneath him. 

Scarcely was breakfast over when we were inundated 
with visitors, who kindly came to see what they could do 
for us to make our stay agreeable. We lunched on shore, 
and afterwards went to the new Government buildings 
and museum. From thence we strolled to the various 
shops where ' curios ' and photographs are to be bought, 



264 THE MUSEUM. 

and collected a goodly store, returning on board the yacht 
to find more visitors. 

We lunched on shore, and afterwards went with Mr. 
Chambre, navigating-lieutenant of the ' Fantome,' to the 
new Government buildings. There we found an excel- 
lent English library and an interesting collection of books 
printed in English and Hawaiian, on alternate pages, 
including alphabets, grammars, the old familiar nursery 
tales, &c. There is also a good, though small museum, 
containing specimens of beautiful corals, shells, seaweeds, 
and fossils ; all the ancient native weapons, such as bows, 
arrows, swords and spears — now, alas ! no longer procur- 
able — sling-stones, and stones used in games, back-scratch- 
ers, hair-ornaments made of sharks' teeth, tortoise-shell 
cups and spoons, calabashes and bowls. There were 
some most interesting though somewhat horrible neck- 
laces made of hundreds of braids of human hair cut from 
the heads of victims slain by the chiefs themselves ; 
from these braids was suspended a monstrous hook 
carved from a large whale's tooth called a Paloola, re- 
garded by the natives as a sort of idol. There are 
models of ancient and modern canoes — the difference 
between which is not very great — paddles inlaid with 
mother-of-pearl, old war-masks, and dresses still in use 
in the less frequented islands, anklets of human teeth, 
and many other things far too numerous to mention. 
The most interesting of all were, perhaps, the old feather 
war-cloaks, like the ancient togas of the Romans. They 
are made of thousands of yellow, red, and black feathers, 
of the 00, mamo, and eine, taken singly and fastened into 
a sort of network of strings, so as to form a solid fabric, 
like the richest velvet or plush, that glitters like gold in 
the sunlight. The helmets, made of the same feathers, 
but worked on to a frame of perfect Grecian shape, simi- 
lar to those seen in the oldest statuary or on the Elgin 
marbles, are even more artistic and elegant. Whence 
came the idea and design? Untutored savages could 



A ROYAL VISIT. 265 

scarcely have evolved them out of their own heads. 
Some element of civilization, and of highly artistic civili- 
zation too, must surely have existed among them at some 
remote period of their history. 

Friday, December 2gth. — We had a bathe overboard 
early this morning. The children were ashore at half-past 
nine, to go and spend the day at a friend's, at the top of 
the Nuuanu Avenue, on the road to the Pali. 

The King's two sisters came to call on us in the morn- 
ing with their respective husbands. We had a great 
many visitors all the morning, till it was time to go to 
lunch ; after which we went to call on the Princess Like- 
like, who drove me to Waikiki, to see her sister, the Prin- 
cess Kamakaeha, at her country residence, a very large 
native grass house, with an enormous veranda. Both 
ladies are married to Englishmen, and live partly in Eng- 
lish style. Inside there is a spacious drawing-room, well 
furnished, with pictures and knickknacks, where we spent 
a pleasant half-hour in the gloaming. The sunset, over 
Diamond Head and the sea, which was just visible through 
the cocoanut-trees, was splendid. Both the Princesses 
were as kind as they could be. The royal family have 
formed quite a little colony here. The King's house is 
next door, and that of the Prince Leleiohoku is not far 
off. They all come here in the most unpretending way 
possible, and amuse themselves by fishing and bathing. 

It had been quite dark for some time, when the Prin- 
cess Likelike dropped me at the hotel at half-past seven, 
where I found Tom and Mr. Freer waiting for me. We 
had a quiet dinner, and then went for a stroll. It was a 
fine clear night, with an almost full moon. The streets 
were full of equestrians, riding about in pairs, for there 
was to be a great riding party up to the Pali to-night, the 
rendezvous for which was in Emma Square. Every lady 
had to select and brins; with her an attendant cavalier.* 



* The event was thus announced in the ' Hawaiian Gazette :' — ' THE 



266 A HALF-HOLIDA Y. 

There are no side-saddles in any of these islands ; all the 
ladies ride like men, and sit their horses very well. They 
wear long riding-dresses, cleverly and elegantly adapted 
to the exigencies of the situation, generally of some light 
material, and of very bright colors. The effect of a large 
party galloping along, with wreaths and garlands in their 
hats and necks, and with their long skirts floating in the 
wind, is therefore picturesque and strange in the extreme. 

Saturday, December 30th. — Mabelle, Muriel, and I were 
up early, and went off to the coral-reef before seven in the 
' Flash.' It is very beautiful, but not so fine as those we 
have already seen at Tahiti and other South Sea Islands. 
We collected four or five distinct varieties of coral, and 
saw many marvelous creatures swimming about or stick- 
ing to the rocks. There were several canoes full of na- 
tives fishing, who appeared highly amused when we ran 
aground on a coral-tree, as happened more than once. 
It was a pleasant way of spending the early morning in 
the bright sunshine, peering into the dark blue and light 
green depths below. 

Breakfast was ready by the time we returned on board, 
and soon afterwards I went on shore to pay some visits 
and to do some shopping. We went first to the fish-mar- 
ket, which presented a most animated scene, owing not 
only to the abundance of the dead produce of air, earth, 
and sea, which it contained, but to the large number of 
gayly attired purchasers. 

Saturday is a half-holiday in Oahu, and all the plan- 
tation and mill hands came galloping into Honolulu on 
horseback, chattering and' laughing, dressed in the bright- 

LAST Chance. — We are informed that a riding party will come off 
on Friday evening, when all the young ladies who desire to partici- 
pate are expected to be on hand, each with the cavalier whom she 
may invite. As leap-year is drawing to a close it is expected that 
this opportunity will be extensively embraced. Place of rendezvous, 
Emma Square ; time, seven-thirty ; Luminary for the occasion, a full 
moon.' 



FISH ALIVE. 267 

est colors, and covered with flowers. The latter are not 
so plentiful nor so beautiful as in Tahiti, but still, to our 
English eyes, they appear very choice. For fruit, too, we 
have been spoiled in the South Seas. The fish-market here, 
however, is unrivaled. 

Fish — raw or cooked — is the staple food of the inhabit- 
ants, and almost everybody we saw had half a dozen or 
more brilliant members of the finny tribe, wrapped up in 
fresh green banana-leaves, ready to carry home. Shrimps 
are abundant and good. They are caught both in salt 
and fresh water, and the natives generally eat them alive, 
putting them into their mouths, and either letting them 
hop down their throats, or crushing them between their 
teeth while they are still wriggling about. It looks a very 
nasty thing to do, but, after all, it is not much worse than 
our eating oysters alive. 

From the fish-market we went to the prison, a large 
and apparently admirably managed establishment, built of 
stone, and overlooking the harbor. After a pleasant drive 
along shady fragrant roads, we returned to Emma Square, 
to hear the excellent performance of the Saturday after- 
noon band. There was a good assemblage of people, on 
horseback, in carriages, and on foot, and crowds of chil- 
ren, all more or less white, languid, and sickly-looking. 
Poor mites ! I suppose the climate is too hot for European 
constitutions. Still, they abound among the foreigners, 
while the natives are gradually but surely dying out. 
Among the whole royal family there is only one child, a 
dear little girl of rather more than a year old. Princess 
Kauilani (' Sent from Heaven ') she is always called, 
though she has a very long string of additional names. 
She is heiress-presumptive to the throne, and is thought 
a good deal of by everybody. Among twenty of the 
highest chiefs' families there is only one baby. On the 
'other hand, all the foreign consuls, ministers, missionaries, 
and other white residents, appear to have an average of 
at least half a dozen in each family. 



268 A POI SUPPER. 

After the performance was over, we walked to the 
Princess Likelike's house, where we were entertained at a 
poi supper. The garden was illuminated, the band played 
and a choir sang alternately, while everybody sat out in 
the veranda, or strolled about the garden, or did what 
they liked best. Prince Leleiohoku took me in to supper, 
which was served in the native fashion, in calabashes and 
on leaves, laid on mats on the floor, in the same manner 
as the feast at Tahiti. The walls of the dining-room were 
made of palm-leaves and bananas, and the roof was com- 
posed of the standards of the various members of the royal 
family, gracefully draped. At one end of the long table, 
where the Prince and I sat, there was his special royal 
standard, as heir-apparent, and just behind us were sta- 
tioned a couple of women, with two large and handsome 
kaJiilis, which they waved incessantly backwards and for- 
wards. The viands were much the same as at Tahiti — raw 
seaweed, which was eaten with each mouthful, being sub- 
stituted for the chopped cocoanut and salt water. The 
carved koa bowls, which were in constant requisition as 
finger-glasses, were specially elegant and useful-looking 
articles. Poi is generally eaten from a bowl placed be- 
tween two people, by dipping three fingers into it, giving 
them a twirl round, and then sucking them. It sounds 
rather nasty ; but, as a matter of fact, it is so glutinous a 
mixture that you really only touch the particles that stick 
to your fingers. The latter you wash after each mouthful, 
so that there is nothing so very dreadful about it, after all. 
There was a quantity of raw fish, which I did not touch, 
but which some of our' party thought most excellent, 
besides dried and cooked fish, which seemed very good, 
fried candle-nuts, baked pig, and many other delicacies. 
We could get, however, nothing to drink. After supper 
we returned to the house, where we found an abundance 
of champagne and other wines, cakes, and biscuits. 

At twelve o'clock we thought it was time to say 
good-by, as it was Saturday night. Beneath a brilliant 



THE BATHER'S ENEMY. 269 

full moon the drive to the wharf and row off in the boat 
were delightful. 

Sunday, December ^\st. — I was on deck at six o'clock, 
and saw what I had often heard about — a team of twenty 
oxen, driven by a man in a cart, drawing by means of a 
rope, about a quarter of a mile in length, a large ship 
through the opening in the reef, the man and cattle being 
upon the coral.* 

About half-past eight Mabelle and I were just going 
overboard for a swim, when I thought I saw the upper 
fin of an old familiar enemy, and directly afterwards the 
cry was echoed all over the ship, 'A shark, a shark! ' It 
was a ground shark, and very nearly aground in the shal- 
low water. They say this is the worst kind of all, and on 
making inquiry I was told that the safest way to enjoy a 
dip here is to bathe with a number of other people. The 
splashing and noise made by a whole ship's company 
frighten the sharks away. This discovery puts an end 
therefore to our hopes of enjoying an occasional peaceful 
bath. 

We went to eleven-o'clock service at the cathedral. It 
is a pleasant small building, beautifully cool, and well 
adapted to this climate. The Bishop was unfortunately 
away, but the service was well performed. 

Later, Tom read the evening service to the men, and 
we afterwards landed and dined late at the hotel ; so 
late, indeed, that we could hardly get anything to eat, 
and they began to shut up the room and put out the 
lights before we had half done. Luckily, we were a large 
party, and an indignant protest and threatened appeal to 

* The following notice appeared in the ' Hawaiian Gazette' re- 
cently: 'To be Repaired. — That stanch little craft the 'Pele,' 
which Captain Brown has for so long a time successfully commanded, 
is now being hauled up for the purpose of repairs. She will proba- 
bly be laid up for six or eight weeks, and in the meantime the an- 
tique plan of towing vessels in and out of the harbor with teams of 
oxen on the reef will be resumed.' 



V 



270 



THE END OF THE YEAR. 



the landlord brought the Chinese waiters to their senses, 
and induced them to grant us half an hour's law. On 
our way back to the boat, the streets looked much more 
lively than they had hitherto done, being full of people 
returning from rides, drives, and excursions into the coun- 
try. As a rule, directly after dark not a creature is to be 
seen about the streets, for every one disappears in the 
most mysterious manner. 

We went on board, and sat in the calm moonlight, 
thinking and talking over the events of the year, whose 
end was so swiftly approaching, and wondering what its 
successor may have in store for us. So ends, with all its 
joys and sorrows, its pleasures and pains, its hopes and 
fears, for us, the now old year, 1876. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HONOLULU — DEPARTURE FOR JAPAN. 

Years following years, steal something every day; 
At last they steal us from ourselves away. 

Monday, January ist, 1877. — At midnight we were 
awakened by our ship's bell, and that of the ' Fantome,' 
being struck violently sixteen times. For the moment I 
could not imagine what it meant, and thought it must be 
an alarm of fire ; indeed, it was not until Tom and I 
reached the deck, where we found nearly all the ship's 
company assembled at the top of the companion, and 
were greeted with wishes for ' A happy New Year, and 
many of them,' that we quite realized that nothing serious 
was the matter. Soon the strains of sweet music, pro- 
ceeding from the Honolulu choirs, which had come out 
in boats to serenade us, fell upon our ears. The choris- 
ters remained alongside for more than an hour, singing 
English and American sacred and secular hymns and 
songs, and then went off to the ' Fantome,' where they re- 
peated the performance. The moon shone brightly ; not 
a ripple disturbed the surface of the water ; the cocoa- 
trees at Waikiki, and the distant mountains near the Pali, 
were all clearly defined against the dark blue sky. It 
was altogether a romantic and delicious scene, and we 
found it difficult to tear ourselves away from the sweet 
sounds which came floating over the sea. 

When I again went on deck, at half-past six, there was 
a large double canoe close to the yacht, crowded with 
people. It was difficult to make out what they were do- 

271 



272 A HAWAIIAN DRAWING-ROOM. 

ing, for they appeared to be sitting on a great heap of 
something, piled up between the two canoes. Our sailors 
suggested that it must be ' some sort of a New Year's set 
out.' I ordered the ' Flash ' to be got ready, and went 
with the children to make a closer investigation ; and, as 
we approached, we could see that the pile that had puz- 
zled us was a huge fishing-net. The tide here is very un- 
certain ; but as soon as the water is low enough, they 
stretch the long net right across the narrow mouth of the 
harbor, and so secure an enormous quantity of fish of 
various kinds. It was a really good New Year's haul, and 
provided a hearty meal for a great many people. 

Mabelle and I went at twelve o'clock to the Queen's 
New Year's reception, held in the other wing of the pal- 
ace. Having driven through the pretty gardens, we were 
received at the entrance by the Governor, and ushered 
through two reception-rooms into the royal presence. 
The Queen was dressed in a European court-dress, of 
blue and white material, with the Hawaiian Order of the 
Garter across her breast. Two maids of honor were also 
in court-dress. Of the other ladies, some were in evening, 
some in morning dress, some with bonnets and some 
without ; but their costumes were all made according to 
the European fashion, except that of her Highness Ruth, 
the Governess of Hawaii, who looked wonderfully well in 
a rich white silk native dress, trimmed with white satin. 
She had a necklace of orange-colored oo feathers round 
her neck, and dark yellow alamanda flowers in her hair. 
This native costume is a most becoming style of dress, 
especially to the chiefs- and chiefesses, who are all re- 
markably tall and handsome, with a stately carriage and 
dignified manner. The Queen stood in front of the 
throne, on which were spread the royal robes, a long 
mantle of golden feathers, without speck or blemish. On 
each side stood two men, dressed in black, wearing frock- 
coats, and capes of red, black, and yellow feathers over 
their shoulders, and chimney-pot hats on their heads. In 



QUEEN AND PRINCESS. 273 

their hands they held two enormous kahilis of black 00 
feathers, with handsome tortoise-shell and ivory handles. 
They were at least eight feet high altogether, and the 
feathers were about six inches across. 

The Princess presented Mabelle and me to her Maj- 
esty, and we had a short conversation through a lady in- 
terpreter. It is always an embarrassing thing to carry 
on a conversation in this way, especially when you find 
yourself in the midst of a square formed by a large crowd 
of ladies, who you fancy are all gazing at you, the one 
stranger present, and I was glad when fresh people ar- 
rived, and her Majesty's attention was claimed elsewhere. 

Queen Kapiolani is a nice-looking woman, with a very 
pleasing expression of countenance. She is the grand- 
daughter of the heroic Princess Kapiolani, who, when the 
worship and fear of the goddess Pele were at their height, 
walked boldly up to the crater of Kilauea, in defiance of 
the warnings and threats of the high-priestess of the idola- 
trous rites, proclaiming her confidence in the power of her 
God, the God of the Christians, to preserve her. This act 
did much to assist in the establishment of Christianity in 
the Island of Hawaii, and to shake the belief of the na- 
tive worshipers of Pele in the power of the fearful god- 
dess. 

The Princess showed me round the room which con- 
tains the portraits of the kings and queens of the Sand- 
wich Islands for many generations, the early ones attired 
in their feather capes, the later ones dressed in European 
costumes. Most of them were the work of native artists, 
but the portraits of Kamehameha II. and his queen were 
painted, during their visit to England, by a good artist. 
Their Majesties are depicted in the height of the fashion 
of the day, the king wearing a blue coat and brass but- 
tons, with many orders on his breast, the queen having 
on a very short-waisted, tight-fitting white satin dress, a 
turban surmounted by a tremendous plume of white feath- 
ers, and a pearl necklace and bracelets : rather a trying 



274 



ROYAL ROBES. 



costume for a handsome woman with a dark complexion 
and portly figure. They both died in England, and their 
remains were brought back here for burial, in H.M.S. 
' Blonde,' commanded by Lord Byron. There was also a 
portait &( Admiral Thomas, whose memory is highly rev- 
erenced here for the happy way in which he succeeded in 
terminating the disputes arising out of our claim to the 
island in 1843, an d in restoring King Kamehameha III. to 
his own again. The collection likewise included excellent 
portraits of Louis Philippe and Napoleon III. Curiously 
enough, each of these was sent off from France to the 
Sandwich Islands, by way of Cape Horn, while the origi- 
nal was in the zenith of his power and fame ; and each 
reached its destination after the original had been deposed 
and had fled to England for refuge. 

But the most interesting object of all was still to 
come — the real feather cloak, cape, and girdle of the 
Kamehamehas, not generally to be seen, except at a coro- 
nation or christening, but which the Princess Kamakaeha, 
in her capacity of Mistress of the Robes, had kindly or- 
dered to be put out for my inspection. The cloak, which 
is now the only one of the kind in existence, is about 
eleven feet long by five broad, and is composed of the 
purest yellow, or rather golden, feathers, which, in the 
sunlight, are perfectly gorgeous, as they have a peculiar 
kind of metallic luster, quite independent of their brilliant 
color. 

On leaving the palace I had intended to get some 
lunch at the hotel, but found that establishment was 
closed to the general public, and was in the possession of 
a native teetotal society ; so I was obliged to return to the 
yacht. At half-past three, however, we all went ashore 
again, and set out on horseback, a large party, for an ex- 
cursion to the Pali, the children, servants, and provisions 
preceding us in a light two-horse American wagon. We 
rode through the Nuuana Avenue, and then up the hills, 
along a moderately good road, for about seven miles and 






A HAWAIIAN BALL. 



275 



a half. This brought us into a narrow gorge in the midst 
of the mountains, from which we emerged on the other 
side of the central range of hills, forming the backbone 
of the island. The view from this point was beautiful, 
though I think that the morning would be a better time 
to enjoy it, as, with a setting sun, the landscape was all in 
shadow. The change of temperature, too, after the heat 
of Honolulu, was quite astonishing, considering the short 
distance we had come — about eight miles only. The car- 
riage could not go quite to the top of the mountain, and 
after descending a short distance to where it had been 
left, we dismounted and spread our dinner on the ground ; 
but darkness overtook us before w T e had finished. Matches 
and lamps had of course been forgotten ; so that the busi- 
ness of packing up was performed under circumstances 
of great difficulty. The ride down, in the light of the al- 
most full moon, was delightful. 

We were on board by half-past seven, and went ashore 
to a ball at nine o'clock. The dance took place in the 
large room of the Hawaiian Hotel, and was a great suc- 
cess. The Royal band played for us, and- there was 
neither stuffiness nor crowding, nor were there any regula- 
tions as to dress, gentlemen and ladies coming in evening 
or morning dress, as it suited them best. The Governor 
and most of the English present, including our own party, 
wore evening dress, and the officers of the 'Fantome' 
were in uniform. Every door and window was open, 
there was a large veranda to sit in, a garden to stroll 
about in between the dances, and an abundance of deli- 
cious iced lemonade — very different from the composition 
thus named which is generally met with in London assem- 
blies — to drink. At half-past twelve, when people were 
beginning to disperse, we took our departure, Captain 
Long taking us off to the yacht in his boat. 

There is to be another ball on Thursday night, for 
which everybody is most anxious that we should stay, as 
it is to be rather a large affair. In order that you may 



276 THE KING ON BOARD. 

see the Hawaiian fashion of sending out cards, I copy the 
form of invitation we received : — 



G/ne Mea6aie 0/ tne ^nPcm/iany 0/ Q4li. and 
Q/flu. Q/nc6. J2$ia66eu t'd- ieauedted at a Q/au. 
6-cU/itcon J^Salt, at t/te o/pautauan Q^poteCj 
ON THURSDAY EVENINC, JANUARY 4, 1877, AT 8 O'CLOCK. 

Jz/tet/iectfuU'u, (§70. Q?o. /ridemann, 

FOR THE COMMITTEE. 

Mrs. Jas. Makee and Mrs. J. S. McGrew will Jtindly act as matrons of the evening. 



Tuesday, January 2d. — At eleven o'clock, the King, 
who was rather better, went on board the ' Fantome,' saw 
the men at quarters, and witnessed the firing of a couple 
of shots at a target, and shortly before twelve paid us a 
visit, accompanied by the Prince Leleiohoku and others. 
His Majesty is a tall, fine-looking man, with pleasant 
manners, and speaks English perfectly and fluently. He 
and the Prince visited and examined every corner of the 
yacht, and looked, I think, at almost every object on 
board. The pictures, curiosities, engines, and our various 
little contrivances for economizing space, seemed to in- 
terest them-the most. The inspection occupied at least 
an hour and a half ; and when it was over, we had a long 
chat on deck on various subjects. The Prince of Wales's 
visit to India, and the Duke of Edinburgh's voyage round 
the world, were much discussed. I think the King would 
like to use them as a precedent, and see a little more of 
the world himself. His voyage to, and stay in America, 
he thoroughly enjoyed. 

It was two o'clock before our visitors left ; and a 
quarter of an hour later the Queen and her sister arrived. 



THE QUEEN'S VISIT. 277 

Her Majesty and her sister made quite as minute an in- 
spection of the yacht as her royal consort and his brother 
had done before them. We had arranged to be ' at home' 
to all our kind friends in Honolulu at four o'clock, at 
which hour precisely the Governor sent the Royal band 
on board to enliven the proceedings. Soon our other vis- 
itors began to arrive; but the Queen appeared to be so 
well amused that she did not leave until five o'clock. By 
half-past six the last of our guests (over 150 in number) 
had said farewell, and there only remained the band to be 
shown round and feasted after their labors. Tom went 
on board the ' Fantome ' to dine, and to meet the British, 
French, German, and American representatives. We 
went to the hotel ; and I must say that I never in my life 
felt more thoroughly worn out than I did that night, 
after standing about and receiving and entertaining all 
the day. 

Wednesday, January 3d. — This was sure to be a dis- 
agreeable day, since it was to be the concluding one of 
our short stay in this pleasant place. The final prepara- 
tions for a long voyage had also to be made ; stores, water, 
and live stock to be got on board, bills to be paid, and 
adieux to be made to kind friends. 

I was on deck at six o'clock, in order to take some 
photographs and to stow away the coral, shells, curiosi- 
ties, and presents of various kinds, that the King, Queen, 
Prince, and Princess, as well as other kind friends, had sent 
us. Before seven the yacht was surrounded by boats, 
and the deck was quite impassable, so encumbered was it 
with all sorts of lumber, waiting to be stowed away, until 
the boats could be hoisted on board and secured for the 
voyage. The large mizzen-sail, which had just been re- 
paired and sent on board, looked enormous as it lay on 
the deck, surrounded by hen-coops, sheep, geese, sacks of 
coal, and baskets and parcels of every size and shape. 
One really began to wonder whether space could possibly 
be found on board for such a miscellaneous collection. 



278 THE HOSPITAL. 

Several visitors, who had been unable to come yesterday, 
arrived in the midst of the confusion. They must have 
carried away in their minds a different impression of the 
yacht from what they would have done had they seen her 
looking as trim and smart as she did yesterday. It could 
not, however, be helped ; for the departure of a small 
vessel, with forty people on board, on a voyage of a 
month's duration, is a matter requiring considerable prep- 
aration. 

At eleven o'clock we landed and went to see the inte- 
rior of the Queen's Hospital. It is a fine and well-kept 
building, containing, at the time of our visit, about ninety 
patients, the men occupying the lower, the women the 
upper story. Each ward is tastefully decorated with bou- 
quets, and the name is written up in bright mauve bou- 
gainvillea or scarlet hibiscus tacked on to white calico. 
Many of the convalescents wore wreaths and garlands of 
flowers, and even those in bed had a few beside them, or 
in some cases a single spray laid on the coverlet. The 
effect was bright and cheerful ; and it seemed a kind and 
sensible idea to endeavor to gratify, instead of to re- 
press, the instinctive love of flowers universally felt by 
the natives of these and of the South Sea Islands. 

From the hospital we went to pay farewell visits, to 
lunch at the hotel, and to settle sundry bills. At three we 
were to go to the Royal Mausoleum. This was a special 
privilege, and, I believe, the greatest compliment that has 
been paid to us anywhere. No foreigners are allowed to. 
enter, except admirals on the station ; and very few inhab- 
itants of Honolulu have ever seen the interior. The King 
has one key, the Dowager Queen Emma another, and the 
Minister of the Interior the third. 

On our way up the hill to the Mausoleum, there was a 
funeral going on, very much after the style of an Irish 
wake in one of the dwellings of the poorer class. The 
house was decorated with flags, and was crowded with 
people, all dressed in black, and generally with bright yel- 



THE ROYAL MAUSOLEUM. 



279 



low lets over their heads and necks. They had evidently 
come from some distance, judging by the number of carts 
and wagons drawn up outside the door. Several people 
were sitting in an upper veranda. The corpse was laid 
out in the lower room, facing the road, as we could see 
through the open windows and door. It was surrounded 
by mourners, and four women were waving large kahilis 
slowly backwards and forwards in front of it. 

The Princess herself met us at the Mausoleum, which 
is a small but handsome stone Gothic building, situated 
above the Nuuanu Avenue, on the road to Pali. It com- 
mands a fine view over land and sea, and the gentle 
breezes waft through the open windows sweet scents from 
the many fragrant trees and flowers by which it is sur- 
rounded. There lay the coffins of all the kings of Hawaii, 
their consorts, and their children, for many generations 
past. The greater part were of polished koa wood, 
though some were covered with red velvet ornamented 
with gold. Many of them appeared to be of an enormous 
size ; for, as I have already observed, the chiefs of these 
islands have almost invariably been men of large and 
powerful frames. The bones of Kamehameha I. were in 
a square oak chest. At the foot of the coffin of Kame- 
hameha IV. there were two immense kahilis about twelve 
feet high, one of rose-colored, the other of black feathers, 
with tortoise-shell handles. The remains of King Luna- 
lilo are not here, having been buried just outside the na- 
tive church in the town. In the vestibule to the tombs of 
the kings rests the coffin of Mr. Wylie, described as 'the 
greatest European benefactor of the Hawaiian people.' 
A ship now in the harbor bears his name, and one con- 
stantly meets with proofs of the respect and reverence in 
which his name is held. 

The Princess drove us down to the wharf, where we 
said good-by to her with feelings of the greatest regret. 
I cannot express the sorrow that we all feel at leaving the 
many kind friends we have met with in ' dear Honolulu,' 



280 FAREWELLS. 

as Muriel calls it. But the farewells were at last over, 
the anchor was weighed, and the yacht, which was by this 
time once more in apple-pie order, began to move slowly 
ahead. Suddenly we heard shouts from the shore, and 
saw a boat pursuing us in hot haste. We stopped, and 
received on board a basket of beautiful ferns and other 
parcels from different friends. A second boat was then 
seen coming off to us, which contained a fine dish of deli- 
cious honey and some flowers. The order to go ahead 
again was scarcely given before a third boat, in, if possi- 
ble, hotter haste than the two previous ones, put off after 
us, bringing some things the laundress had forgotten. 

Now we are fairly off ; and now surely the last link that 
binds us to the shore is broken. But no ! there are fare- 
well signals and hearty cheers yet to come from the of- 
ficers and men of the ' Fantome ; ' and still farther out, on 
the top of the tiny lighthouse at the mouth of the narrow 
passage through the reef, stand other friends, cheering and 
waving their handkerchiefs. They had rowed out thither, 
being determined to give us really the parting cheer, and 
till the shades of twilight fell we could see their white 
handkerchiefs fluttering, and hear their voices borne on 
the evening breeze, as we meandered slowly through the 
tortuous channels into deep water. 

Once outside we found there was plenty of wind and 
a heavy roll, which sent me quickly to bed. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HONOLULU TO YOKOHAMA. 

As slow our ship her foamy track 

Against the wind was cleaving, 
Her trembling pennant still look'd back 

To that dear isle 'twas leaving. 

Thursday, January 4th. — It was very rough, but fortu- 
nately the wind came from a favorable quarter. Sorry 
as we all were to bid farewell to these charming islands, I 
could not help rejoicing that we had picked up a fresh fair 
wind so unexpectedly soon. 

While we were at Honolulu a regular epidemic of in- 
fluenza prevailed in the place, affecting both man and 
beast. This is often the case during the prevalence of the 
south wind, which blew, more or less, during the whole of 
our stay. We none of us suffered from the malady at the 
time, but now nearly everybody on board is affected, and 
some very severely. 

Friday, January $th. — The fresh fair breeze still con- 
tinues. At noon we had sailed 240 knots. The head-sea 
we could dispense with, as it makes us all very uncom- 
fortable. Muriel, Baby, the three maids, and several of 
the crew, are ill to-day with influenza, and I have a slight 
touch of it, so I suppose it will go right through the ship. 
Towards the evening the breeze increased to a gale. 

Saturday, January 6th. — The gale increased during the 
night, and the head-sea became heavier. There was a 
good deal of rain in the course of the day. The wind 
dropped about sunset, and was succeeded by intervals 
of calm, with occasional sharp squalls. Baby was very 

281 



282 BABY ILL. 

poorly all day, but seemed better at night. We have now 
regularly settled down to our sea life again, and, if only 
the children recover, I hope to get through a good deal 
of reading and writing between this and Japan. At pres- 
ent they occupy all my time and attention, but I thiiak, 
like the weather, they have now taken a turn for the 
better. 

Sunday, January "jth. — A very rough and disagreeable 
day, with much rain. All the morning we rolled about, 
becalmed, in a heavy swell. Steam was ordered at half- 
past twelve, but before it was up the fair wind had re- 
turned, so the fires were put out. We had the Litany 
at eleven, and a short service, without a sermon, at four. 

Baby was very ill all night. Everything was shut up 
on account of the torrents of rain, so that the heat was 
almost insufferable, and we tossed and tumbled about in 
the most miserable manner. 

Monday, January 2>th. — All the early part of the morn- 
ing we were in the greatest anxiety about Baby ; she could 
hardly draw her breath, and lay in her cot, or on her 
nurse's lap, almost insensible, and quite blue in the face, 
in spite of the application of mustard, hot water, and 
every remedy we could think of. The influenza with her 
has taken the form of bronchitis and pleurisy. The other 
children are still ailing. Heavy squalls of wind and rain, 
and continuous roiling, prevailed throughout the day. 

Tuesday, January gth. — The wind fell light, and the 
weather improved ; but we tumbled about more than 
ever. The thermometer in the nursery stood at 90 . The 
children are a shade better. 

Wednesday, January \oth. — Very hot, and a flat calm. 
Steam was up at 7.30 a.m. Mabelle is convalescent ; 
Muriel not so well ; Baby certainly better. In the after- 
noon one of the boiler-tubes burst. It was repaired, and 
we went on steaming. In the evening it burst again, and 
was once more repaired, without causing a long stoppage. 

{Thursday, January nth, had no existence for us, as, 



LOSING A DAY. 283 

LA/ 

in crossing the 180th par-allel of latitude, we have lost a 
day.) 

Friday, January 12th. — Wednesday morning with us 
was Tuesday evening with people in England, and we 
were thus twelve hours in advance of them. To-day the 
order of things is reversed, and we are now twelve hours 
behind our friends at home. Having quitted one side of 
the map of the world (according to Mercator's projec- 
tion) and entered upon the other half, we begin to feel 
that we are at last really ' homeward bound.' 

At 4 a.m. Powell woke us with the announcement 
that the boiler-tube had again burst, and that we had 
consequently ceased steaming. Letting off steam, and 
blowing out the boiler, made a tremendous noise, which 
aroused everybody in the ship. It was a lovely morn- 
ing, but a fiat calm, and the sun rose magnificently. The 
few light clouds near the surface of the water caught 
and reflected the rays of light most brilliantly before 
the sun itself appeared, and assumed all manner of -fanci- 
ful shapes. 

About six o'clock a very light breeze sprang up, which 
increased during the day; but the sea remained perfectly 
calm. We think we must have got into the trade again. 
This weather is indeed a luxury after all the knocking 
about we have lately gone through ; and I feel as if I 
could never rest enough. The constant effort to main- 
tain one's balance, whether sitting, standing, or moving 
about, has been most fatiguing, and the illness of the 
children has made matters worse. Baby is, I hope, now 
quite out of danger. 

Saturday, January \^th. — The engineers made up 
their minds that we were in the trade winds again yes- 
terday, and that we should not want the engines for 
some days. They therefore did not hurry on with the 
repairs as they should have done. This morning there 
was a calm, and when Tom ordered steam to be got up 
at once, the reply was, ' Please, sir, the engine won't be 



284 HEAVY SEA. 

ready till night.' This was annoying ; but they worked 
extra hard all day, and by 4 p.m. steam was raised. At 
six a nice little breeze sprang up, which freshened dur- 
ing the evening, and at midnight orders were given to 
stop steaming. 

We had another bad night of it — a head wind, the 
sea washing over the decks, everything shut up, and the 
thermometer standing at 90 . 

Sunday, January 14th. — I was on deck at 4 a.m. 
The Southern Cross, the Great Bear, and the North 
Star were shining with a brilliancy that eclipsed all the 
other stars. 

During the day the wind freshened to a squally gale. 
Sometimes we were going ten, sometimes thirteen, and 
sometimes fifteen knots through the water, knocking 
about a good deal all the while. Service v/as an impos- 
sibility ; cooking and eating, indeed, were matters of 
difficulty. It rained heavily, and the seas came over 
the deck continually. 

Many of the sailors and servants were ill. I was 
hopelessly so. Nothing annoys me more than to find 
that, after having sailed tens and tens of thousands of 
miles, I cannot cure myself of sea-sickness. I can stand 
a good deal mote rolling than I once could; but still, 
many are the days when nothing but the firmest deter- 
mination not to think about it, but to find something to 
do, and to do it with all my might, keeps me on my feet 
at all. Fewer, happily, are the days when struggling is 
of no avail, when I am utterly and hopelessly incapaci- 
tated, ignominiously and literally laid flat on my back, 
and when no effort of will can enable me to do what 
I most wish to accomplish. If only some physician 
could invent a sovereign remedy for sea-sickness, he 
would deserve well of his country, and of mankind in 
general. 

Monday, January i$tk. — I woke once or twice in 
the night, and felt exactly as if I were being pulled back- 



POLYNESIAN ANTIQUITIES. 285 

wards through the water by my hair. We were rushing 
and tearing along at such a pace, against a head-sea, 
that it almost took one's breath away. But at noon we 
were rewarded for all discomfort by finding that we had 
run 298 sea, or 343 land miles, in 24 hours, and that 
between 8.14 yesterday and 8.15 to-day we had made 
302 knots, or 347 land miles — nearly 350 miles in the 24 
hours — under very snug canvas, and through a heavy sea. 
The wind still continued fair and fresh, but the sea was 
much quieter, and we all felt comparatively comfortable. 
More sails were set during the afternoon. Some alba- 
trosses and long-tailed tropic birds were seen hovering 
about us. The moon begins to give a good light now, 
and we found it very pleasant on deck this evening. 

Wednesday, January ijth. — It was a fine warm morn- 
ing, and we got the children on deck for the first time for 
ten days. 

Thursday, January i8t/i. — Between breakfast and lunch 
we sailed over the spot where Tarquin Island is marked 
on the chart, and, between lunch and dinner, over a name- 
less reef, also marked on the chart. A good lookout had 
been kept at the masthead and in the bows, but not a 
trace could be seen of either of these objects in any direc- 
tion. The weather kept clear and bright, and the sea was 
much calmer. 

During the last five days we have covered 1,221 sea 
miles. 

Monday, January 22d. — At daylight Asuncion Island 
was still visible. It is of volcanic origin, and is in the 
form of a perfect sugar-loaf, 2,600 feet high, rising out of 
the sea, exactly as I had expected the Peak of Teneriffe 
to appear. I should like to have landed on the islands 
Agrigan or Tinian, so as to see the interesting remains 
left by the ancient inhabitants. Some people say that 
they resemble Aztec remains ; others, that they are like 
those of the more modern Peruvians. All authorities, 
however, seem to agree that they are like those on Easter 



2 86 AMATEUR NAVIGATION. 

Island, the south-east extremity of Polynesia, this being 
the north-west. 




Amateur Navigation. 

We were close-hauled all day ; the wind was strong, 
and the sea rough and disagreeable. 

Tuesday, January 2$d. — Still close-hauled, and still a 
heavy swell. I felt very ill, and could scarcely move my 
head for neuralgia. The galley boiler burst to-day, so we 



THE GIG CARRIED AWAY. 287 

are now dependent on the one in the forecastle. During 
the night we passed the Euphrosyne rock. It looks like 
a ship in full sail, and abounds with turtle, fish, and sea- 
elephants. 

Wednesday, January 24th. — Very much colder, though 
we are only just outside the tropics. The wind was rather 
freer, and we had a beautiful moonlight night. 

Friday, January 26th. — During the night the breeze 
freshened, and in the morning increased to a gale. Steam 
was therefore let off. It has been a miserable day ; so cold, 
wet, and rough, that it was impossible to do anything, or 
to sit anywhere, except on the floor. 

About 9 p.m. I was sitting in the deck-house, when I 
heard a tremendous crash, and looking out, saw that the 
fore gig davits had been carried away, taking with them 
a piece of the rail, stanchion, and cavil. The gig was 
hanging from the after davits, one might say, by a thread, 
splashing and dashing in and out of the water, and crash- 
ing and splintering against the side of the yacht. All . 
hands were speedily on deck ; and in spite of the risk they 
ran, and of the remonstrances of their comrades, two of 
the gig's crew jumped into her with a rope, which they 
tried to pass round her. It was a difficult task in that 
heavy sea, and many times they failed, and we constantly 
feared that men, boat, and all were gone. Half a dozen 
of the crew caught hold of the rigging outside, put their 
backs against the yacht, and with legs outstretched tried 
to keep the gig off the ship's side, while all the loose gear 
was floating away out of her. At last there was a shout 
of triumph. The rope was round her, the men jumped 
on board the yacht again, whilst sailors, stewards, and 
passengers proceeded to hoist and drag the boat in, with 
all their might and main. Alas ! she was only a wreck. 
Her sides were stove in, her planks were started, there 
was a hole in her bottom, and the moon shone through 
her many cracks. 

Saturday, January 2jth. — About two o'clock this morn- 



288 MORE GRIEF. 

ing the yacht plunged so heavily into a deep sea, that the 
jibboom, a beautiful spar, broke short off, and the fore- 
topgallant mast and topgallant yard were carried away 
almost at the same moment, with a terrible noise. It took 
about eight hours to clear the wreck, all hands working all 
night ; and a very forlorn appearance the deck presented 
in the morning, lumbered up with broken spars, ropes, 
&c. The jibboom fell right across the forefoot of the 
yacht, and now looks as if it had been cut at for weeks 
with some blunt tool. 

The weather cleared a little to-day, but there was still 
a heavy sea and nearly a head wind. The crew were 
busily engaged in repairing damages. Unfortunately, two 
of them are ill, and so is the carpenter, a specially impor- 
tant person at this juncture. No men could have behaved 
better than they all did after the accident. It was fright- 
ful to see them aloft in such weather, swinging on the 
ends of the broken spars, as the yacht rolled and pitched 
about. When it comes to a pinch they are all good men 
and true: not that they are perfection, any more than 
other men are. 

Sunday, January 28//z. — It is finer, but bitterly cold. 
Several of my tropical birds are already dead. The little 
pig from Harpe Island, and the Hawaiian geese, look 
very wretched, in spite of all my precautions. 

We had the Litany at eleven, and prayer and a ser- 
mon at four; after which Tom addressed the men, paying 
them some well-deserved compliments on their behavior 
on Friday night. 

The decks were very slippery, and as we kept rolling 
about a good deal there were some nasty falls among the 
passengers. We had a splendid though stormy sunset, 
which did not belie its promise, for the wind shortly after- 
wards became stiffer and stronger, until at last we had 
two reefs down, and were tumbling about in all direc- 
tions, as we rushed through the water. The dining-tables 
tilted till they could go no further, and then paused to go 



STRUCK BY A SEA. 289 

back again ; but not quickly enough, for the glasses began 
to walk up-hill and go over the edge in the most extraor- 
dinary manner. On deck the night looked brilliant but 
rather terrible. The full moon made it as light as day, 
and illuminated the fountains of spray blown from the 
waves by which we were surrounded. Without her heavy 
jibboom, and with her canvas well reefed down, the 'Sun- 
beam ' rode through it all, dipping her head into the sea, 
shivering from stem to stern, and then giving herself a 
shake, preparatory to a fresh start, just like a playful 
water-bird emerging from a prolonged dive. 

At midnight a tremendous sea struck her, and for a 
minute you could not see the yacht at all, as she was com- 
pletely enveloped in spray and foam. Tom said it was 
just like being behind the falls of Niagara, with the water 
coming over you from every quarter at once. It was only 
loose stuff, however, for not a green sea did she take on 
board the whole night through. Our old engineer, who 
has been with us so long, made up his mind that we had 
struck on a rock, and woke up all the servants and told 
them to go on deck. I never felt anything like it before, 
and the shock sent half of us out of our beds. 

Monday, January 29///. — At four o'clock I was called 
to go on deck to see the burning mountain. The wind 
was still blowing hard, but we were among the islands, and 
in comparatively smooth water. The full moon still rode 
high in the heavens, her light being reflected in rainbow 
hues from the spray and foam that drifted along the sur- 
face of the water. On every side were islands and rocks, 
among which the sea boiled, and seethed, and swirled, 
while the roaring breakers dashed against the higher cliffs, 
casting great columns of spray into the air, and falling 
back in heavy rollers and surf. Just before us rose the 
island of Vries, with its cone-shaped volcano, 2,600 feet 
high, emitting volumes of smoke and flame. It was over- 
hung by a cloud of white vapor, on the under side of 
which shone the lurid glare of the fires of the crater. 
19 



290 FUJIYAMA. 

Sometimes this cloud simply floated over the top of the 
mountain, from which it was quite detached ; then there 
would be a fresh eruption ; and after a few moments' quiet 
great tongues of flame would shoot up and pierce through 
the overhanging cloud to the heavens above, while the 
molten lava rose like a fountain for a short distance, and 
then ran down the sides of the mountain. It was won- 
drously beautiful ; and, as a defense against the intense 
cold, we wrapped ourselves in furs, and staid on deck 
watching the scene, until the sun rose glorious from the 
sea, and shone upon the snow-covered sides of Fujiyama, 
called by the Japanese ' the matchless mountain.' It is an 
extinct crater, of the most perfect form, rising abruptly 
from a chain of very low mountains, so that it stands in 
unrivaled magnificence. This morning, covered with the 
fresh-fallen snow, there was not a spot nor a fleck to be 
seen upon it, from top to bottom. It is said to be the 
youngest mountain in the world, the enormous mass hav- 
ing been thrown up in the course of a few days only 862 
years B.C. 

We reached the entrance to the Gulf of Yeddo about 
nine o'clock, and passed between its shores through hun- 
dreds of junks and fishing boats. I never saw anything 
like it before. The water was simply covered with them ; 
and at a distance it looked as though it would be impos- 
sible to force a passage. As it was, we could not proceed 
very fast, so constantly were the orders to ' slow,' ' stop,' 
' port,' ' starboard,' given ; and I began at last to fear that 
it would be impossible to reach Yokohama without run- 
ning down at least one boat. 

The shores of the gulf, on each side, consist of sharp- 
cut little hills, covered with pines and cryptomerias, and 
dotted with temples and villages. Every detail of the 
scene exactly resembled the Japanese pictures one is ac- 
customed to see in England ; and it was easy to imagine 
that we were only gazing upon a slowly moving panorama, 
unrolling; itself before us. 



FANTASTIC FIGURES. 



291 



It was twelve o'clock before we found ourselves 
among the men-of-war and steamers lying near the port 
of Yokohama, and two o'clock before the anchor could 
be dropped. During this interval we were surrounded 
by a swarm of boats, the occupants of which clamored 
vociferously to be allowed on board, and in many cases 
they succeeded in evading the vigilance of the man at the 
gangway, by going round the other side and climbing 
over the rail. A second man was put on guard ; but it 
was of no use, for we were invaded from all directions at 
once. We had a good many visitors also from the men- 
of-war, Japanese and English, and from the reporters of 
newspapers, full of curiosity, questions, and astonish- 
ment. 

Having at last managed to get some lunch, Tom went 
to bed to rest, after his two hard nights' work, and the 
rest of us went on shore. Directly we landed at the jetty 
we were rushed at by a crowd of jinrikisha men, each 
drawing a little vehicle not unlike a Hansom cab, without 
the seat for the driver — there being no horse to drive. 
The man runs between the shafts, and is often preceded 
by a leader, harnessed on in front, tandem fashion. 
Each of these vehicles holds one person, and they go 
along at a tremendous pace. 

We went first to the Consul's, where we got a few 
letters, and then to the Post Office, where many more 
awaited us. We had then to go to various places to 
order stores, fresh provisions, coals, and water, all of 
which were urgently needed on board, and to give 
directions for the repair of boats, spars, &c, with as little 
delay as possible. All this business, including the inevita- 
ble search for a. good laundress, lay in the European 
quarter of the town, the appearance of which was not re- 
markable. But the people we met in the streets were a 
study in themselves. The children said they looked 'like 
fans walking about ; ' and it was not difficult to under- 
stand their meaning. The dress of the lower orders has 



292 SAD NEWS FROM HOME. 

remained precisely the same for hundreds of years; and 
before I had been ashore five minutes I realized more fully 
than I had ever done before the truthfulness of the rep- 
resentations of native artists, with which the fans, screens, 
and vases one sees in England are ornamented. 

While we were going about, a letter was brought me 
containing the sad news (received here by telegram) of 
the death of Tom's mother. It was a terrible shock, 
coming, too, just as we were rejoicing in the good ac- 
counts from home which our letters contained. I went 
on board at once to break the bad news to Tom. This 
sad intelligence realized a certain vague dread of some- 
thing, we knew not what, which had seemed to haunt us 
both on our way hither. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

YOKOHAMA. 

Heavily plunged the breaking wave, 

And foam flew tip the lea, 
Morning and evening the drifted snow 

Fell into the dark gray sea. 

Tuesday, January ^oth. — When we awoke from our 
slumbers this morning, it was very cold and dark, and we 
heard noises of a strange kind. On going on deck to as- 
certain the cause of this state of things, we discovered 
that the skylights and portholes were all covered and 
blocked up with snow, and that the water froze as it came 
out of the hose, forming a sheet of ice on the deck. 
Masses of snow and ice were falling from the rigging, and 
everything betokened that our welcome to Japan would 
not be a warm one. 

After breakfast we had many visitors, and received 
letters from Sir Harry and Lady Parkes, inviting us to go 
up to Yeddo to-morrow for a long day, to settle our future 
plans. 

Having landed, we went with the Consul to the native 
town, to see the curio shops, which are a specialty of the 
place. The inhabitants are wonderfully clever at mak- 
ing all sorts of curiosities, and the manufactories of so- 
called ' antique bronzes ' and ' old china ' are two of the 
most wonderful sights in Yokohama. The way in which 
they scrape, crack, chip, mend, and color the various arti- 
cles, cover them with dust, partially clean them, and imi- 
tate the marks and signatures of celebrated makers, is 

293 



294 



CURIOS. 



more creditable to their ingenuity than to their honesty. 
Still, there are a good many genuine old relics from the 
temples, and from the large houses of the reduced Daimios, 
to be picked up, if you go the right way to work, though 
the supply is limited. Dealers are plentiful, and travel- 
ers, especially from America, are increasing in numbers. 
When we first made acquaintance with the shops we 
thought they seemed full of beautiful things, but even 
one day's shopping, in the company of experienced peo- 
ple, has educated our taste and taught us a great deal ; 
though we have still much to learn. There are very re- 
spectable-looking lacquer cabinets ranging in price from 
5 s. to ^"20. But they are only made for the foreign market. 
No such things exist in a Japanese home. A really good 
bit of old lacquer (the best is generally made into the form 
of a small box, a portable medicine-chest, or a chow-chow 
box) is worth from ^"20 to ^"200. We saw one box, 
about three inches square, which was valued at £45 ; and 
a collection of really good lacquer would be costly and 
difficult to procure even here. The best specimens I have 
ever seen are at Lady Alcock's ; but they are all either 
royal or princely presents, not to be bought with money. 
The tests of good lacquer are its exquisite finish, its satiny, 
oily feel, and the impossibility of making any impression 
on it with your thumb-nail. It is practically indestructi- 
ble, and will wear forever. All the poor as well as the rich 
people here use it, and have used it for centuries, instead of 
china and glass, for cups, saucers, dishes, bowls, which would 
need to be often washed in the hottest of water. It is said 
that the modern Japanese have lost the art of lacquer mak- 
ing ; and as an illustration I was told that many beautiful 
articles of lacquer, old and new, had been sent from this 
country to the Vienna Exhibition in 1873, but the price put 
on them was so exorbitant that few were sold, and nearly 
all had to be sent back to Japan. Just as the ship with 
these things on board reached the Gulf of Yeddo, she struck 
on a rock and sank in shallow water. A month or two 



A TEA HOUSE. 



295 



ago a successful attempt was made to raise her, and to re- 
cover the cargo, when it was found that the new lacquer 
had been reduced to a state of pulp, while the old was 
not in the least damaged. I tell you the tale as it was 
told to me. 

After a long day's shopping, we went to dine, in real 
Japanese fashion, at a Japanese tea-house. The estab- 
lishment was kept by a very pleasant woman, who re- 
ceived us at the door, and who herself removed our ex- 
ceedingly dirty boots before allowing us to step on her 
clean mats. This was all very well, as far as it went ; but 
she might as well have supplied us with some substitute 
for the objectionable articles, for it was a bitterly cold 
night, and the highly polished wood passages and steep 
staircase felt very cold to our shoeless feet. The apart- 
ment we were shown into was so exact a type of a room 
in any Japanese house, that I may as well describe it once 
for all. The woodwork of the roof and the framework of 
the screens were all made of a handsome dark polished 
wood, not unlike walnut. The exterior walls under the 
veranda, as well as the partitions between the other 
rooms, were simply wooden lattice-work screens, covered 
with white paper, and sliding in grooves ; so that you 
could walk in or out at any part of the wall you chose, 
and it was, in like manner, impossible to say whence the 
next comer would make his appearance. Doors and win- 
dows are, by this arrangement, rendered unnecessary, and 
do not exist. You open a little bit of your wall if you 
want to look out, and a bigger bit if you want to step out. 
The floor was covered with several thicknesses of very fine 
mats, each about six feet long by three broad, deliciously 
soft to walk upon. All mats in Japan are of the same 
size, and everything connected with house -building is 
measured by this standard. Once you have prepared 
your foundations and woodwork of the dimensions of so 
many mats, it is the easiest thing in the world to go to a 
shop and buy a house, ready made, which you can then 



296 ' JAPANESE DINNER. 

set up and furnish in the scanty Japanese fashion in a 
couple of days. 

On one side of the room was a slightly raised dais, 
about four inches from the floor. This was the seat of 
honor. On it had been placed a stool, a little bronze 
ornament, and a china vase, with a branch of cherry- 
blossom and a few flag-leaves gracefully arranged. On 
the wall behind hung pictures, which are changed every 
month, according to the season of the year. There was 
no other furniture of any sort in the room. Four nice- 
looking Japanese girls brought us thick cotton quilts to 
sit upon, and braziers full of burning charcoal, to warm 
ourselves by. In the center of the group another brazier 
was placed, protected by a square wooden grating, and 
over the whole they laid a large silk eider-down quilt, to 
retain the heat. This is the way in which all the rooms, 
even bedrooms, are warmed in Japan, and the result is 
that fires are of very frequent occurrence. The brazier is 
kicked over by some restless or careless person, and in a 
moment the whole place is in a blaze. 

Presently the eider-down and brazier were removed, 
and our dinner was brought in. A little lacquer table, 
about six inches high, on which were arranged a pair of 
chop-sticks, a basin of soup, a bowl for rice, a saki cup, 
and a basin of hot water, was placed before each person, 
whilst the four Japanese maidens sat in our midst, with 
fires to keep the saki hot, and to light the tiny pipes with 
which they were provided, and from which they wished 
us to take a whiff after each dish. Saki is a sort of spirit, 
distilled from rice, always - drunk hot, out of small cups. 
In this state it is not disagreeable, but we found it ex- 
ceedingly nasty when cold. 

Everything was well cooked and served, though the 
ingredients of some of the dishes, as will be seen from the 
following bill of fare, were rather strange to our ideas'. 
Still they were eatable, and most of them really pal- 
atable. 



SINGING AND DANCING GIRLS. 297 

So it p. 



Shrimps and Seaweed. 



Prawns, Egg Omelet, and Preserved, Grapes. 



Fried Fis/i, Spinach, Young Pushes, and Young Ginger. 



Raw Fish, Mustard and Cress, Horseradish, and Soy. 



Thick Soup, of Eggs, Fish, Mushrooms, and Spinach j Grilled Fish. 



Fried Chicken, and Bamboo Shoots. 



Turnip Tops and Root Pickled. 



Rice ad libitum in a large bowl. 



Hot Saki, Pipes and Tea. 

The meal concluded with an enormous lacquer box of 
,rice, from which all our bowls were filled, the rice being 
thence conveyed to our mouths by means of chop-sticks. 
We managed very well with these substitutes for spoons 
and forks, the knack of using which, to a certain extent, 
is soon acquired. The long intervals between the dishes 
were beguiled with songs, music, and dancing, performed 
by professional singing and dancing girls. The music 
was somewhat harsh and monotonous ; but the songs 
sounded harmonious, and the dancing was graceful, though 
it was rather posturing than dancing, great use being 
made of the fan and the long trailing skirts. The girls, 
who were pretty, wore peculiar dresses to indicate their 
calling, and seemed of an entirely different stamp from 
the quiet, simply dressed waitresses whom we found so 
attentive to our wants. Still they all looked cheery, light- 
hearted, simple creatures, and appeared to enjoy im- 
mensely the little childish games they played amongst 
themselves between whiles. 

After dinner we had some real Japanese tea, tasting 



298 TOKIO, LATE YEDDO. 

exactly like a little hot water poured on very fragrant 
new-mown hay. Then, after a brief visit to the kitchen, 
which, though small, was beautifully clean, we received 
our boots, and were bowed out by our pleasant hostess 
and her attentive handmaidens. 

On our return we had considerable difficulty in pro- 
curing a boat, our own boats being all ashore under repair. 
It was a beautiful moonlight night, but bitterly cold. 
The harbor being so full of shipping, our boatmen were 
at first puzzled how to find the yacht, till we pointed to 
the lights in the deck-house — always a good beacon at 
night in a crowded harbor. 

Wednesday, January ^\st. — We left the yacht soon 
after eight o'clock, and started by the 9.34 a.m. train for 
the city formerly called Yeddo, but latterly, since the 
Mikado has resided there, Tokio, or eastern capital of 
Japan. The ground was covered with snow, and there 
were several degrees of frost, but the sun felt hot, and all 
the people were sunning themselves in the doorways or 
wide verandas of their houses. 

Yokohama has been so completely Europeanized, that 
it was not until we had left it that we caught our first 
glimpse of Japanese life ; and the whole landscape and 
the many villages looked very like a set of living fans or 
tea-trays, though somehow the snow did not seem to har- 
monize with it. 

We crossed several rivers, and reached Tokio in about 
an hour, when we at once emerged into the midst of a 
clattering, chattering crowd, amongst whom there did not 
seem to be a single European. The reverberation, under 
the glass roof of the station, of the hundreds of pairs of 
wooden clogs, pattering along, was something extraordi- 
nary. Giving up our tickets, and following the stream, 
we found ourselves surrounded by a still more animated 
scene, outside the station. We were just deliberating 
what to do next, when a smart little Japanese, with a 
mail-bag over his shoulder, stepped forward and said 



TEMPLE OF SHIBA. 



299 



something about Sir Harry Parkes. He then popped us 
all into several double and treble manned jinrikishas, and 
started off himself ahead at a tremendous pace, shouting 
and clearing the way for us. 

Tokio is a genuinely Japanese town. Not a single 
foreigner resides within its limits, with the exception of 
the foreign Ministers. There is no hotel nor any place of 
the kind to stay at ; so that, unless you have friends at 
any of the Legations, you have no choice but to return to 
Yokohama the same day, which makes a visit rather a 
fatiguing affair."' 

Our first halting-place was at the Temple of Shiba, 
not far from the station, where most of the Tycoons have 
been buried. It is a large inclosure, many acres in ex- 
tent, in the center of the city, with walls overgrown with 
creepers, and shadowed by evergreen trees, amid whose 
branches rooks caw, ravens croak, and pigeons coo, as un- 
disturbedly as if in the midst of the deepest woodland 
solitude. I had no idea there was anything so beautiful 
in Japanese architecture as this temple. The primary 
idea in the architecture of Japan is evidently that of a 
tent among trees. The lines of the high, overhanging, 
richly decorated roofs, with pointed gable ends, are not 
straight, but delicately curved, like the suspended cloth 
of a tent. In the same way, the pillars have neither 
capital nor base, but seem to run through the building 
perpendicularly, without beginning or end. The principal 
temple was burned down a few years ago ; but there are 
many smaller ones remaining, built in exactly the same 
style, and all the tombs are perfect. Some people say 
the bodies are inclosed in coffins, filled with vermilion, 
but I need hardly say we had no opportunity of ascertain- 
ing the correctness of this statement. We entered several 
of the temples, which are perfect marvels of carving, gild- 

* I have since heard that there are two hotels at Tokio, such as 
thev are. 



300 ROUND THE TOWN. 

ing, painting, and lacquer work. Their style of decoration 
may be somewhat barbaric ; but what a study they would 
form for an artist ! Outside, where no color is used, the 
overhanging roofs and the walls are carved with a depth 
and boldness, and yet a delicacy, I have seldom seen 
equaled ; the doors and railing being of massive bronze, 
brought from the Corea. Within, a dim religious light 
illumines and harmonizes a dazzling mass of lacquer, gold, 
and painting. It is the grandest burial-place imaginable ; 
too good for the long line of men who have tyrannized 
over Japan and its lawful sovereigns for so many centuries 
past. 

The streets of Tokio were crowded with a motley 
throng up to the very gates of the citadel, where, within 
the first moat, stand all the yashgis, or residences of the 
Daimios. Each yashgi is surrounded by a blank wall, 
loopholed, and with a tower at each of the four corners. 
Within this outer wall is the court of the retainers, all 
of them ' two-sworded ' men ; then comes a second wall, 
also loopholed, inside which dwell distant relations of the 
Daimio ; and then again a third inclosure, guarding the 
Daimio himself, with his immediate belongings. After 
crossing the third moat we reached the Mikado's gardens 
and palace, the public offices, and the residences of the 
foreign Ministers, all of which were formerly occupied 
by the Tycoon, or Shogun, and his ministers. On the 
waters of the inner moat were thousands of wild ducks 
and geese. Nobody is allowed to harm them, and the 
birds seem to be perfectly aware of this fact, for they dis- 
port themselves with the greatest confidence. 

The English Embassy is a nice red brick house, built 
in the center of a garden, so as to be as secure as possible 
from fire or attack. After a most pleasant luncheon we 
looked over the nucleus of a second collection which Lady 
Parkes is beginning to form. Her former beautiful col- 
lection was burned a few years ago, a most disheartening 
misfortune, especially as the opportunities for obtaining 



FESTIVALS. 



301 



really old and good things in Japan are diminishing day 
by day. 

A little later we started in great force, some in car- 
riages and some on horseback, attended by running 
grooms, to see something more of the city. These men 
think nothing of running by the side of a horse and car- 
riage some forty miles a day. They form a distinct class, 
and when working on their own account wear little cloth- 
ing. When in the service of private individuals they are 
dressed in tight-fitting dark blue garments, with short 
capes, fastened to their arms, and large hats. 

Just outside the Embassy we passed two of the finest 
of the still existing yashgis, the larger one being used as 
the Home Office, the other as the Foreign Office. 

There is always a festival going on in some part of 
Tokio. To-day there had been a great wrestling-match, 
and we met all the people coming away. Such crowds of 
jinrikishas, full of gayly dressed and painted women and 
children, with their hair plastered into all sorts of incon- 
ceivable shapes, and decorated with artificial flowers and 
glittering pins! We met six of the wrestlers themselves, 
riding in jinrikishas — big men, prodigiously fat, and not 
at all, according to our ideas, in fighting or wrestling con- 
dition. One of their jinrikisha men stumbled and fell, 
just as they passed us, and the wrestler shot out, head 
over heels, and lay, a helpless ball of fat, in the middle of 
the road, till somebody came and picked him up. He 
was not in the least hurt, and, as soon as he was set on 
his feet again, began to belabor the poor jinrikisha man 
most unmercifully. After a long and delightful drive we 
arrived at the station just in time to catch the train. 

The return journey to Yokohama, in the omnibus-like 
railway carriages, was very cold, and the jinrikisha drive 
to the Grand Hotel colder still ; but a roaring fire and a 
capital dinner soon warmed and comforted us. 

After dinner we looked over a fine collection of pho- 
tographs of Japanese scenery and costumes, and then 



3° 2 



DOMESTIC HABITS. 



returned to the yacht in the house-boat belonging to the 
hotel, which was prettily decorated with bright-colored 
lanterns, and which afforded welcome shelter from the 
biting wind. 

Thursday, February 1st. — Careful arrangements have 
been made for our excursion to the Island of Inoshima, 
to see the great figure of Daibutz. By eight o'clock we 
had landed, and packed ourselves into a funny little 
shaky carriage, drawn by four horses. We drove quickly 
through the town, past the station, along the Tokaido, or im- 
perial road, running from one end of the Island of Niphon 
to the other, and on which so many foreigners have been 
murdered even within the last ten years. Now, how- 
ever, it is perfectly safe. The houses are one story high, 
and their walls are made of the screens I have already 
described. These screens were all thrown back, to ad- 
mit the morning air, cold as it was. We could conse- 
quently see all that was going on within, in the sitting- 
room in front, and even in the bedrooms and kitchen. 
At the back of the house there was invariably a little 
garden to be seen, with a miniature rockery, a tree, and 
a lake ; possibly also a bridge and a temple. Even in 
the gardens of the poorest houses an attempt at some- 
thing of the sort had been made. The domestic occu- 
pations' of the inhabitants being conducted in this public 
manner, a very good idea might be obtained, even at the 
end of a few miles' drive, of how the lower class of Japa- 
nese wash and dress themselves and their children, how 
very elaborate the process of hair-dressing is, to say 
nothing of a bird's-eye -view of the ground plan of the 
houses, the method of cooking food, &c. 

As we emerged into the open country the landscape 
became very pretty, and the numerous villages, nestling 
in the valleys at the foot of the various small hills, had a 
most picturesque appearance. At a stone-quarry that we 
passed, on the side of a mountain, there were about 
seventy men at work, without any clothing, though the 



JAPANESE CONTRARINESS. 303 

thermometer was far below freezing point. The Japanese 
are a sensitive nation, and finding that foreigners were 
astonished and shocked at the habits of the people, in 
going about without clothes, and in bathing in public and 
at their house-doors, they passed a law prohibiting these 
customs in towns. In the country, however, the more 
primitive customs are still in force, and every dwelling 
has its half-open bath-house, whilst the people do as they 
like in the matter of clothing. 

After stopping twice on the road, to drink the inevit- 
able tea, we changed from our carriage to jinrikishas, 
each drawn and pushed by four strong men, bowling 
along at a merry pace. The sun was very warm in the 
sheltered valleys, and the abundance of evergreens of 
all kinds quite deluded one into the belief that it was 
summer time, especially as camellias grew like forest 
trees, covered with , red and white bloom, amidst a dense 
tangle of bamboos and half-hardy palms. There were 
many strange things upside down to be seen on either 
hand— horses and cows with bells on their tails instead 
of on their necks, the quadrupeds well clothed, their 
masters without a scrap of covering, tailors sewing from 
them instead of to them, a carpenter reversing the ac- 
tion of his saw and plane. It looked just as if they had 
originally learned the various processes in ' Alice's Look- 
ing-glass World ' in some former stage of their existence. 

We had not long left the town before our men began 
to undress each other; for their clothes were so tight 
that it required no inconsiderable effort to remove them. 
Some of them were beautifully tattooed. My wheeler 
had the root of a tree depicted on one foot, from which 
sprang the trunk and branches, spreading gradually, until 
on his back and chest they bore fruit and flowers, amongst 
which birds were perched. On his other leg was a large 
stork, supposed, I imagine, to be standing under the 
shadow of the same tree. Another man had human fig- 
ures tattooed all over him, in various attitudes. 



3°4 



VENUS' S EARS. 



In less than an hour we reached the narrow strip of 
land which at low water connects the island or peninsula 
of Inoshima with the mainland. This isthmus was cov- 
ered with natives gathering shells and seaweed, casting 
their nets, and pushing off or dragging up their boats; 
whilst an island rose fresh and green from the sea, with a 
background of snowy mountains, stretching across the 
bay, above which Fujiyama towered grandly. This name 
signifies ' not two, but one mountain,' the Japanese think- 
ing it impossible that there can be another like it in the 
world. The lovely little island is called Inoshima, and 
is conical in shape and covered with evergreens and 
Buddhist temples, with a few small fishing villages scat- 
tered on its shores. We walked right across it in about 
an hour ; so you may imagine it is not very large. The 
sea teems with curiously shaped fish and beautiful shells. 
The staple food of the inhabitants seems to be those 
lovely ' Venus's ears,' * as they are called — a flattish uni- 
valve, about as big as your hand, with a row of holes 
along the edge, and a lining of brilliant black mother-of- 
pearl. These were lying about in heaps everywhere, 
mixed with white mother-of-pearl shells, as big as your 
two fists, and shaped like a snail-shell. 

Our jinrikisJia men deposited us at the bottom of the 
main street of the principal village, to enter which we 
passed through a simple square arch of a temple. The 
street was steep and dirty, and consisted principally of 
shell-fish and seaweed shops. 

An old priest took us in hand, and, providing us with] 
stout sticks, marched us up to the top of the hill to see 
various temples, and splendid views in many directions. 
The camellias and evergreens on the hillside made a lovely t 
framework for each little picture, as we turned and twisted 
along the narrow path. I know not how many steps on 
the other side of the island had to be descended before 

* The generic name ' Haliotis.' 



DAIBUTZ. 



3°5 



the sea-beach was reached. Here is a cavern stretching 
500 feet straight below high-water mark, with a shrine to 
Benton Sama, the Lucinda of Japan ; and having been 
provided with candles, we proceeded a few hundred feet 
through another cave, running at right angles to the first. 

As it would have been a long steep walk back, and I 
was very tired, we called to one of the numerous fishing 
boats near the shore, and were quickly conveyed round to 
our original starting place. Before we said good-by, one 
of the old priests implored to be allowed to dive into the 
water for half a dollar. His request was complied with, 
and he caught the coin most successfully. 

We lunched at a tea-house, our meal consisting of fish 
of all kinds, deliciously cooked, and served, fresh from the 
fire, in a style worthy of Greenwich ; and as we had taken 
the precaution to bring some bread and wine with us, we 
were independent of the usual rice and saki. 

After this we proceeded on our way towards the Dai- 
butz, or Great Buddha, situated within the limits of what 
was once the large city of Kama-kura, now only a collec- 
tion of small hamlets. As all Japanese cities are built of 
wood, it is not wonderful that they should in time en- 
tirely disappear, and leave no trace behind them. But 
there still remain some of the columns of the temple 
which once existed in the gardens surrounding the idol. 
Now he is quite alone; and for centuries 'has this grand 
old figure sat, exposed to the elements, serenely smiling 
on the varying scene beneath him. The figure is of bronze, 
and is supposed to have been cast about the year 1250 or 
1260. It is some 50 feet high, with golden eyes and a sil- 
ver spiral horn on the forehead. It is possible to sit or 
stand on the thumb, and within the hollow body an altar 
is erected, at which the^priests officiate. Sitting there, 
amidst a grove of enornfbus cryptomerias and bamboos, 
there is an air of ineffable silent strength about that soli- 
tary figure, which affords a clue to the tenacity with which 
the poorer classes cling to Buddhism. The very calmness 
20 



306 MARKET AT YOKOHAMA. 

of these figures must be more suggestive of relief and re- 
pose to the poor weary worshipers than the glitter of the 
looking-glass and crystal ball to be found in the Shintoo 
temples. The looking-glass is intended to remind believers 
that the Supreme Being can see their innermost thoughts 
as clearly as they can perceive their own reflection ; while 
the crystal ball is an emblem of purity. Great store is set 
by the latter, especially if of large size and without flaw ; 
but to my mind the imperfect ones are the best, as they 
refract the light and do not look so much like glass. 

In another village close by — also part of the ancient 
Kama-kura — there is a fine temple, dedicated to the God 
of War ; but we were pressed for time, and hurried back 
to the little carriages. The homeward drive was long and 
cold ; but the Tokaido looked very pretty lighted up, the 
shadows of the inmates being plainly visible on the paper 
walls, reminding one of a scene in a pantomime. On our 
way down a very steep hill we met the men carrying a 
cango. It is a most uncomfortable-looking basket-work 
contrivance, in which it is impossible to sit or lie with 
ease. These cangos used formerly to be the ordinary con- 
veyance of Japan, but they are now replaced by the jinri- 
kishas, and they are seldom met with, except in the moun- 
tains or in out-of-the-way places. 

Friday, February 2d. — I was called at five o'clock, and 
at half-past six Mabelle and I started for the market. It 
was blowing a gale, and our four oarsmen found it as 
much as they could do to reach the shore. The Shang- 
hai mail-boat was just in, and I pitied the poor passengers, 
who were in all the misery of being turned out into the 
cold of the early morning, with the spray breaking over 
them as they sat in the small boats. 

The market at Yokohama is one of the sights of the 
place. There were large quantities of birds and game of 
all kinds — pheasants with tails six feet long, of a rare cop- 
per-colored variety, ducks, pigeons, small birds, hares, 
deer, rabbits. The fish-market was well supplied, espe- 



DWARF TREES. 



307 



daily with cuttle-fish. They are not inviting-looking, but 
are considered a delicacy here. A real octopus, in a bas- 
ket, with its hideous body in the center, and its eight arms, 
covered with suckers, arranged in the form of a star, is 
worth from a dollar to a dollar and a half, according to 
its size. I was not tempted, however, to make any pur- 
chases. 

From the market we went to one or two small shops 
in back streets, and thence over the bluffs, in the teeth of 
a bitterly cold wind, to a nursery garden, to examine the 
results of the Japanese art of dwarfing and distorting 
trees. Some of the specimens were very curious and 
some beautiful, but most were simply hideous. We saw 
tiny old gnarled fruit-trees, covered with blossom, and 
Scotch firs and other forest trees, eight inches high, be- 
sides diminutive ferns and creepers. 

It being now half-past nine o'clock, we went to the 
hotel to meet the rest of the party for breakfast, and 
at one o'clock we returned to the yacht. At half-past 
one Lady Parkes and several other friends from Tokio 
came on board to luncheon. They told of three disas- 
trous fires that had taken place in Tokio yesterday, by 
which the Home Office — one of the finest old Tartar 
vashgis — and several smaller edifices had been destroyed. 

After the departure of our guests we paid another 
visit to the shore, and saw the foxhounds. They are a 
nice pack, and have good kennels outside the foreign set- 
tlement. They were out this morning at 6.30, but unfor- 
tunately we did not know of it. There are plenty of 
foxes, and some very fair country not far from here ; so 
they expect to have good sport. 

We weighed anchor at 8.30 p.m. and proceeded under 
steam. At 11.30, when off Touraya-saki, we set some of 
the head canvas. It was a cold night, with sleet and 
snow, though it was not blowing as hard as during the 
day. 



CHAPTER XX. 

KIOTO, LATE MIACO. 

Manners with fortunes, humors change with climes, 
Tenets with hooks, and principles with times. 

Saturday, February 3d. — The occasional glimpses of 
the coast scenery through the sleet and snow were very 
fine. We passed Rocky Island, Lady Inglis rocks, and 
Matoya. But Mabelle and I spent most of the day in 
bed ; she suffering from a blow from the boom, which had 
produced slight concussion of the brain, and I having a 
wretched cold, which has been gradually getting worse 
the last few days, and which has quite taken away my 
voice. 

Sunday, February ^.th. — It was blowing hard all day, 
raining, snowing, and sleeting. The scenery appeared to 
be pretty, and we passed through crowds of picturesque 
junks. 

At 4.25 we rounded Tomamgai Smia, and at 9 p.m. 
anchored off the town of Kobe, or Hiogo. 

These constant changes of names are very puzzling. 
Miaco and Yeddo, which we did know something about, 
are quite cut out, and replaced by Kioto and Tokio. 
Oddly enough, the same syllables, reversed, mean capital 
of the Western Empire and capital of the Eastern Em- 
pire respectively. 

Monday, February $tk. — By seven o'clock a boat was 
alongside with letters from the Consul and Sir Harry 
Parkes, who had kindly made all the necessary arrange- 

308 



A PATIENT CROWD. 



3C9 



merits for us to see the opening of the railway from Kobe 
to Kioto, and for the presentation of the gentlemen to 
the Mikado. 

It certainly was a great opportunity for seeing a Japa- 
nese holiday crowd, all dressed in their best. Thousands 
and thousands of people were in the streets, who, though 
naturally anxious to see as much as possible, behaved in 
the most quiet and orderly manner. The station was 
beautifully decorated with evergreens, camellias, and red 
berries. Outside there was a most marvelous pavilion, 
the woodwork of which had been entirely covered with 
evergreens, and ornamented with life-sized dragons and 
phenixes (the imperial insignia of Japan), all made in 
flowers. The roof was studded with large chrysanthe- 
mums — the private device of the Mikado, that of the 
Tycoon being three hollyhock leaves. The sides of the 
pavilion were quite open, the roof being simply supported 
on pillars ; so that we could see everything that went on, 
both inside and out. The floor was covered with red 
cloth ; the dais with an extremely ugly Brussels carpet, 
with a large pattern. On this the Mikado's throne was 
placed, with a second canopy above it. Tom in R.N.R. 
uniform, the other gentlemen in evening dress, accom- 
panied the Consul on to the platform to receive the 
Mikado ; while the children and I went with Mrs. Annes- 
ley to seats reserved for the foreign representatives. 
There were not many Europeans present ; but the plat- 
form was densely crowded with Japanese, sitting on their 
heels, and patiently waiting to see the extraordinary sight 
of their hitherto invisible spiritual Emperor brought to 
them by a steam engine on an iron road. The men had 
all had their heads fresh shaven, and their funny little pig- 
tails rearranged for the occasion. The women's hair was 
elaborately and stiffly done up with light tortoise-shell 
combs and a large pin, and decorated with artificial flow- 
ers. Some of the children were gayly dressed in red and 
gold under-garments, the prevailing color of the costumes 



3 io JAPANESE VERSUS FRENCH FASHIONS. 

being dark blue, turned up with red. They also wore gay 
embroidered obis, or large sashes, which are put on in 
a peculiar fashion. They are of great width, and are 
fastened tightly round the waist, while an enormous bow 
behind reaches from between the shoulders to far below 
the hips. The garments fit tightly in front, while at the 
back they form a sort of huge bunch. On their high- 
heeled clogs the women walk with precisely the same gait 
as ladies in high-heeled boots. In fact, so exactly do the 
Japanese women (you never see Japanese ladies walking 
about in the streets) caricature the present fashionable 
style of dress in Europe, that I have formed a theory of 
my own on the subject, and this is it. 

Some three or four years ago, among other proposed 
reforms in Japan, the Ministers wished the Empress and 
her court to be dressed in European fashion. Accord- 
ingly a French milliner and dressmaker, with her assist- 
ants, was sent for from Paris, and in due time arrived. 
The Empress and her ladies, however, would not change 
their style of dress. They knew better what suited them, 
and in my opinion they were very sensible. This is what 
I hear. Now what I think is, that the Parisienne, being 
of an enterprising turn of mind, thought that she would 
not take so long a journey for nothing — that if the Japa- 
nese ladies would not follow European fashions, at least 
European ladies should adopt the Japanese style. On her 
return to Paris I am convinced that she promulgated this 
idea, and gradually gave it effect. Hence the fashions of 
the last two years. 

Watching the crowd occupied the time in a most in- 
teresting manner, till the firing of guns and the playing of 
bands announced the arrival of the imperial train. The 
Mikado was received on the platform, and after a very 
short delay he headed the procession along the covered 
way on to the dai's. 

He is a young, not very good-looking man, with rather 
a sullen expression, and legs that look as though they 



NOBLES IN UNACCUSTOMED CLOTHES. 



3" 



did not belong to him — I suppose from using them so lit- 
tle, and sitting so much on his heels ; for until the last 
few years the Mikado has always been considered far too 
sacred a being to be allowed to set foot on the earth. He 
was followed by his highest Minister, the foreign Minis- 
ters, and a crowd of Japanese dignitaries, all, with one or 
two exceptions, in European official dress, glittering with 
gold lace. I believe it was the first time that many of 
them had ever worn it. At any rate, they certainly had 
never learned to put it on properly. It would have driven 
to distraction the tailor who made them, to see tight-fitting 
uniforms either left unbuttoned altogether, or hooked 
askew from top to bottom, and to behold the trousers 
turned up and disfigured by the projecting tags of im- 
mense side-spring boots, generally put on the wrong feet. 
Some of the visitors had no gloves, while others wore 
them with fingers at least three inches too long. Cer- 
tainly a court dresser as well as a court tailor ought to be 
appointed to the Mikado's establishment, before the Eu- 
ropean costume becomes generally adopted. 

I could not help thinking that the two or three old 
conservative Ministers who had stuck to their native dress 
must have congratulated themselves on their firmness, 
when they saw the effect of the unaccustomed garments 
upon their confreres. The old court dress of the Daimios 
is very handsome, consisting of rich silks and brocades, 
with enormously long loose trousers trailing two or three 
feet on the ground, and with sleeves, like butterfly wings, 
of corresponding dimensions. A small high-peaked black 
cap is worn on the head, to accommodate the curious lit- 
tle cut-off pigtail, set up like a cock's comb, which appears 
to be one of the insignia of a Daimio's rank in Japan. 

As soon as the people had arranged themselves into 
three sides of a square, Sir Harry Parkes read an address, 
and presented his five compatriots to the Mikado, who 
replied in inaudible but no doubt suitable terms. Then 
the Governor of Kobe had to read an address, and I pitied 



312 



A NERVOUS MINISTER. 



the poor man from the bottom of my heart. His knees 
shook, his hands trembled, and his whole body vibrated 
to such an extent, that his cocked hat fell and rolled on 
the floor of the dais, and finally hopped down the steps, 
while the address nearly followed its example. How 
thankful he must have felt when it was over ! 

The proceedings in the pavilion being now at an end, 
the Mikado walked down the middle of the assembly, 
followed by all his Ministers in single file, on his way to 
the luncheon tent. After they had gone, we inspected 
the imperial railway carriage, the soldiers, guns, &c, and 
just as we were leaving the station yard, to look at the 
daylight fireworks they were letting off in honor of the 
occasion, a salute announced the departure of the Mikado 
for Kioto. 

We lunched at the Consulate, our gentlemen changed 
to more comfortable attire, and then we went to see a 
Buddhist temple, supposed to be rather a fine specimen 
of woodwork. It is specially curious on account of some 
monkeys and a white horse, each kept in a sort of side 
shrine. Every worshiper at the temple stopped before 
these shrines, and for a small coin bought rice or beans 
to feed them with, through the priest. Whether it was 
an act of worship, or simply of kindness, I could not dis- 
cover, though I paid several visits to the spot during our 
stay at Kobe. 

From the temple we went to the shops in the main 
street of Hiogo, and full of interest and temptation we 
found them. The town itself is quite Japanese, and con- 
sists, as usual, of wooden houses, narrow streets, and 
quaint shops. To-day all was en fete, in preparation for 
the illuminations to-night. 

Kobe, the foreign settlement, is, on the contrary, brand- 
new, spick and span, with a handsome parade, and grass 
and trees, planted boulevard fashion, along the edge of 
the sea. It is all remarkably clean, but quite uninterest- 
ing. To-night, however, it looked very well, illuminated by 



TO KIOTO. 



3*3 



thousands and thousands of colored paper lanterns, ar- 
ranged in all sorts of fanciful devices. It was dark and 
clear, and there was no wind, so that everything went off 
well. 

Tuesday, February 6th. — My cold being still bad, Ma- 
belle by no means well yet, and Tom very busy, we at 
first thought of keeping quiet to-day. But our time is so 
short, that we could not afford to waste it ; so half our 
party started early for Kioto, it being arranged that Tom 
and Mabelle should follow us by an early train to-morrow. 
It was a wet, cheerless day, and the country did not look 
its best. Still, the novelty of the scenes around could 
not fail to make them interesting. The Japanese have 
an intense horror of rain, and it was ludicrous to see the 
peasants walking along with scarcely any clothes on ex- 
cept a pair of high clogs, a large hat, and a paper um- 
brella. We crossed several large bridges, stopped at a 
great many stations, where heaps of native travelers got 
in and out, and finally reached Kioto at half-past two 
o'clock. It was still raining, and all the jinrikisha men 
wore their large rain hats and rain cloaks, made either of 
reeds or of oiled paper. Most of the jinrikishas, too, had 
oiled paper hoods and aprons. 

The drive to our hotel, through long, narrow, crowded, 
picturesque streets, seemed long and wearisome. It was 
still a holiday, and remains of the previous night's illu- 
minations were to be seen on all sides. The large paper 
lanterns still remained fastened to the high poles, with an 
open umbrella at the top to afford protection from the rain. 

Kioto is a thoroughly Japanese town. I do not sup- 
pose it contains a single European resident; so that the 
manners and customs of the natives may be seen in per- 
fection. Its theaters and jugglers are famous throughout 
Japan. In the suburb, where the two hotels are situated, 
stand numberless tea-houses and other places of enter- 
tainment. Our hotel is situated half-way up the hill called 
Maruyama. 



314 



TEMPLE OF GION. 



After about three-quarters of an hour's ride in the 
jinrikisha, we were deposited at the bottom of a flight of 
steps, which appeared to lead to a temple, but by which 
we reached the hotel in about five minutes. We were re- 
ceived by servants, who bowed to the ground, but who 
did not speak a word which we could understand.. The 
rooms looked clean and comfortable, and the dining-room 
boasted a table and six chairs, besides several screens 
and hibatchis. The bedrooms, too, had beds, screens, and 
washstands ; quite an unexpected luxury. Still more so 
was a strip of glass about half-way up the screens, through 
which we could admire the fine prospect. Anything in 
the shape of a transparent window is a complete novelty 
in a Japanese house, where, in winter, you feel as if you 
were imprisoned. The view from the veranda of the 
hotel over the pretty fantastic garden, the Temple grounds, 
the town of Kioto, and the mountains in the distance was 
an endless source of delight to me. 

The servants soon produced a luncheon, excellently 
well cooked ; and directly we had finished it we sallied 
forth again to see what we could before dark. First we 
went to the temple of Gion, a fine building, standing in 
extensive grounds, and surrounded by smaller temples and 
houses for the priests. The Dutch envoys used to stay 
here when they were brought through the country, like 
prisoners, to pay their annual tribute for being allowed to 
trade with Japan. They were subjected to all kinds of 
indignities, and used to be made to dance and sing, pre- 
tend to be drunk, and play all sorts of pranks, for the 
amusement of the whole court as well as for the Mikado 
and the Empress, hidden behind a grating. 

From Gion we went to see other temples, and wan- 
dered about under the large conifers of all kinds, trying to 
find out the quarters of the British Legation for some 
time, until Sir Harry Parkes returned. The rooms at his 
residence were comfortable, but cold-looking, for mats 
and paper screens do not look nice in a frost. There were 



WHAT IS A YACHT? 315 

tables and chairs and paraffin lamps, but no bedsteads, 
only about a dozen cotton and silk quilts, some of which 
were supposed to serve as a couch, while others were to 
be used as coverings. 

Sir Harry has had, I fear, a great deal of trouble about 
the yacht. She is the first vessel of the kind ever seen in 
Japan, with the exception of the one sent out in 1858 as a 
present from the Queen to the then Tycoon, and now used 
by the Mikado. The officials, it seems, cannot make the 
* Sunbeam ' out. ' Is she a man-of-war ? We know what 
that is.' 'No.' ' Is she a merchant ship ? ' 'No; she is a 
yacht.' But what can be the object of a vessel without 
guns is quite beyond their comprehension. At last it has 
been settled that, in order to be like other nations, the 
Japanese officials will not force us to enter at the Custom 
House, or to pay a fine of sixty dollars a day for not do- 
ing so. As a matter of precedent, it was important that 
the point should be settled, though I hardly imagine that 
many yachts will follow our example, and come out to 
Japan through the Straits of Magellan and across the 
Pacific. 

As it was now growing late, we returned to the hotel 
for dinner. The night was cold, and hibatchis and lamps 
alike failed to warm the thinly walled and paper-screened 
room. 

Sir Harry Parkes came and spent the evening with 
us, and taught us more about Japan in two or three 
hours than we could have learned by much study of 
many books. The fact is, that in this fast-changing 
country guide-books get out of date in two or three 
years. Besides which, Sir Harry has been one of the 
chief actors in many of the most prominent events we 
have recently been reading about. To hear him describe 
graphically the wars of 1868, and the Christian perse- 
cutions in 1870, with the causes that led to the revolu- 
tion, and the effect it has had on the country, was in- 
deed interesting;. Still more so was his account of his 



316 RELIGIOUS SPECULATIONS. 

journey hither to force the newly emerged Mikado and 
his Ministers to sign the treaty, which had already re- 
ceived the assent (of course valueless) of the deposed 
Tycoon. 

Wednesday, February Jth. — A misty but much. warm- 
er morning succeeded a wet night. At 8.30 Sir Harry 
Parkes and two other gentlemen arrived, and we all 
started at once in jinrikishas to see what could be seen 
in the limited time at our disposal. We went first to 
the temple of Gion Chiosiu, described elaborately in 
books by other travelers. It is specially interesting to 
Europeans, as it was the temple assigned to the foreign 
envoys when they paid their first visit to the Mikado in 
1868. Sir Harry Parkes showed us all their apartments, 
and the large though subsidiary temple once used as a 
hospital, and we afterwards went to see the service per- 
formed in the temple. A dozen bonzes, or priests, were 
sitting round in a circle, chanting monotonously from 
ponderous volumes, with an occasional accompaniment 
from a gong or drum. Incense was being burned, vest- 
ments worn, processions formed, and prayers offered to 
Buddha to intercede with the Supreme Being. The 
accessories and surroundings were of course different, 
but the ceremonial struck me as being much the same 
as that in use at Roman Catholic places of worship. 

I was only a month in Japan, and that is far toe 
short a time for anything like serious study ; but I was 
much struck by the temples, and I find I have some 
notes in my book comparing them with the Jewish. How 
any direct connection could possibly exist, is far beyond 
my powers of conjecture ; but I will state the points of 
resemblance, and leave others to inquire further and col- 
lect additional information. 

Wood and bronze to this day furnish the material 
of which temples are constructed in Japan, with stone 
as a base. Such also were the materials of Solomon's 
temple. There are inclosures round each court or shrine, 



BUDDHISM AND SHIXTOOISM. 



3*7 



and sometimes these courts are three in number. Hills 
or groves are usually sites for a temple, the ascent to 
which is by a long flight of steps ; usually two flights 
give access to the shrine. One is long, straight, and steep, 
for the men ; the other, less steep, but curved, is for the 
women. It will be remembered that it was the great 
stairs at Solomon's temple that so impressed the Queen 
of Sheba. Small shrines or miniature temples, called 
Tenno Samma, or ' Heaven's Lord,' are carried on staves, 
like the Ark of the Covenant, at their religious cere- 
monies. The inner shrine, or Holy of Holies, is small, 
and a cube, or nearly so, in proportion. It is usually 
detached behind the other portions of the temple, the 
door being closed, so that it cannot be seen into, and it 
generally contains, not an image, but a tablet, or what 
the Japanese call a ' Gohei,' or piece of paper, cut so that 
it hangs down in folds on each side. In the early days 
of writing, a tablet was a book, a stylus the pen. The 
stone on which the law was inscribed was only a form 
of the book, and the Chinese ancestral tablet, or other 
tablet, in a temple, is only a variety of this book form. 
These 'Goheis' are so common in Japan, and occupy so 
important a place. in all their temples, that I had a great 
desire to know what they originally meant ; but as on 
many questions of this kind I could get no information, 
the only suggestion which presented itself to me was, 
that it might be some form of the book, for the book was 
a very sacred thing in past time, and that which is yet 
called the ' Ark,' in a Jewish synagogue, contains now 
nothing but a book. There is a distinct priesthood who 
wear vestments, and- they use incense, music, and bells. 
There are two religions in Japan, Buddhism and Shintoo- 
ism ; the latter being the primitive faith, and the for- 
mer an importation from China. The forms of the two 
have become slightly mixed, both in the construction of 
their temples and in the ceremonial ; but the remarks I 
have just made apply particularly to the Shintoo religion. 



3 i8 BRONZE BELLS. 

One of the late acts of the government has been to 
declare the Shintoo, as the old religion of the country, to 
be the only state faith. This is the disestablishment of 
Buddhism, but it does not imply its suppression. The 
Buddhist priests complain very much, saying that their 
. temples are not now so popular, and many are being 
closed. Speculators are buying up their fine bronze bells, 
and sending them home to be coined into English pen- 
nies and half-pennies. Changes in faith present many 
strange aspects, and this is certainly a curious one. 

We strolled about the temple grounds, and ascended 
the hill to see the famous bell, which is the second big- 
gest in Japan. The immense beam which strikes it was 
unlashed from the platform for our edification, and the 
bell sent forth a magnificent sound, pealing over the city 
and through the woods. At one of the gates there is a 
curious staircase, leading up to the top, and there, over 
'the gate, is seated a figure of Buddha, surrounded by 
twelve disciples, all carved in wood and colored. They 
are quite worth a scramble up to see. 

From Chiosiu we went right across the city to the 
temple of Nishni Hongangi. On our way we were more 
than once stopped and turned off the direct road, which 
was kept by soldiers for the passage of the Mikado to 
worship at the tombstone of his innumerable ancestors, 
real or imaginary. Being a spiritual Emperor, he has to 
be well kept up to his religious duties, and is always being 
sent off to worship at some shrine or another, in order to 
maintain his popularity with the people, his Ministers 
meanwhile managing the affairs of state. Tanjo and 
Ikawura went off in haste to-day to Tokio, as there are 
rumors of a rebellion in the south. 

Nishni Hongangi is one of the largest and finest tem- 
ples we have yet seen, even in spite of a large portion 
having been destroyed by the disastrous fire of 1864. 
The gates are splendidly ornamented, with carved chry- 
santhemum flowers. The center temple is very fine, and 



THE DEPOSED TYCOON. 



3 l 9 



is surrounded by smaller rooms, all decorated by the best 
Japanese artists of about two hundred years ago. Notice 
had been sent that the English Minister was coming with 
a party of friends, and everything had accordingly been 
prepared for our reception. In some places they had even 
put down carpets, to obviate the necessity of our having 
to take off our boots. The Abbot was out, which I much 
regretted, for he belongs to the Montos, the most ad- 
vanced sect of Buddhism, and has more than once re- 
marked to English visitors that he thought their own 
principles were so enlightened that they were paving the 
way for a higher form of religion, in the shape of Christian- 
ity — rather a startling confession to come from the lips 
of a Buddhist priest. 

After spending a long time among the paintings, 
wood-carvings, lacquers, bronzes, and gardens, we left the 
temple, and crossed several courtyards, before the main 
street was reached. Then after a short walk, we came to 
another beautiful garden, laid out like a miniature park, 
with lakes, bridges, rocks, streams, canals, pavilions, &c. 
All these surround a house built by the celebrated Ty- 
coon, Tako' Sama, in the fifteenth century. Here, again, 
everything was prepared for our reception. Fires were 
lighted, flowers arranged, carpets laid down, and fruit and 
cakes placed in readiness, with hibatcliis to warm each and 
all of us. We went all over the house, which differs little 
from a Japanese house of the present day, except that a 
higher style of art was employed in its construction and 
decoration. 

From here we went to quite another quarter of the 
city, to see what was formerly the Tycoon's palace, now 
used as a sort of police office. It is built on the same 
plan of three inclosures as all the yashgis, though on a 
very different scale from the one at Tokio. There, the 
Tycoon reigns in undisturbed sovereignty. Here, he ap- 
pears as a humble servant of his rightful master — really 
his prisoner. The late Tycoon, after the last battle, 



320 



A PAWNBROKER'S SHOP. 






fought at this place, fled to his castle at Osaka, where, 
though he might have held out for an indefinite period, 
he preferred to surrender. Two of his Ministers came to 
him and represented that he must not only think of him- 
self, but of the party who supported the Shogunate, and 
that as he had betrayed them by false hopes he had no 
choice but to perform Hara-kiru. This he refused to do, 
although they set him the example ; and he is now living 
as a private individual on an estate in the country, not 
far from Tokio, where he amuses himself with hunting, 
shooting, and fishing. It is said that it is possible he 
may one day join the ministry of the present Mikado. 

From the Tycoon's palace we drove to the ' Toshio,' 
or court quarter of the town, where the Mikado and all 
his relatives live, in palaces, surrounded by large gardens, 
inclosed in whitewashed walls. We saw the whole of 
Tako Sama's household furniture and wearing apparel, 
the celebrated swords of Yoritiome, called the ' knee-cut- 
ter ' and the ' beard-cutter,' from their wonderful sharp- 
ness, and many other interesting objects. 

Here we said good-by to Sir Harry Parkes, and re- 
turned across the town by another route to our hotel to 
lunch, after which we made another expedition to one or 
two more temples, and then to a pawnbroker's shop, in 
the heart of the city, which had been strongly recom- 
mended to us. The exterior did not look promising ; the 
shop itself was small and dirty ; and they had to take 
some very filthy garments out of the way before we could 
enter. Once inside, however, it was a very different 
story. They showed us splendid old embroideries, and 
quantities of second-hand court dresses, embroidered in 
gold, silver, and colors, with exquisite designs. The Em- 
press has thirteen ladies of honor, who wear their best 
dresses only twice, and then sell them : hence the pawn- 
broker's abundant stock. 

Wherever we went a large but perfectly civil crowd 
followed us, and people ran on before to tell others to 



JAPANESE SHOPKEEPERS. 321 

come to their doors and look at us, though we were under 
the charge of an officer and two men. It was now getting 
dark, and we were very tired ; so we at last turned back, 
and once more climbed those weary steps to our hotel. 
To-night there is some fete going on in this suburb, and 
the whole place is alive with lights, dancing, music, and 
tum-tums. 

After dinner all our purchases arrived, each accom- 
panied by at least four or five men. Other people had 
heard of our visit, and had brought more things for us to 
look at ; so that the room soon resembled a bazaar. At 
last we got rid of them, having settled that they should 
pack our things and take them down to Kobe, where they 
would be paid for. The Japanese shopkeepers, though 
difficult to deal with, are incorruptible when once the bar- 
gain is made. They pack most carefully, frequently add- 
ing boxes, bags, and baskets, not originally included in 
the purchase, in order that the articles may travel more 
safely. The smallest article is sure to be put in, and the 
greatest care is taken of everything, even if they know 
you do not mean to open the cases for months. 

If it were only warmer, how delightful it would all 
be ! The cold spoils everything to a certain extent. At 
night we have to choose whether to be half frozen in 
our beds, or stifled with the fumes of charcoal from the 
hibatchis. 

Thursday, February 2>th. — The sunrise over the city, 
with the river and mountains beyond, was superb. We 
breakfasted at eight ; but even by that hour the court- 
yard and passage were crowded with venders of curiosi- 
ties of all sorts, and no doubt great bargains might have 
been picked up. But we had no time to lose, for. our 
train started at 9.30, and we had a delightfully rapid 
drive to the station through the sunny streets of 
Kioto. 

Arrived at Kobe, we went first to lunch with some 
friends, and immediately after hastened on board to re- 



322 THE VENICE OF JAPAN, 

ceive the foreign Ministers and other friends ; and did 
not land again that evening. 

Friday, February gfk. — We left by ten o'clock train for 
Osaka, which has been called the Venice of Japan. It is 
intersected by innumerable rivers and canals, and boats 
were continually making their appearance at points where 
they were least expected, as our jinrikisha men hurried 
us along the narrow and not very sweet-smelling streets. 
We went so fast that, more than once before we reached 
the Mint, I thought we should have been tipped into 
one of the canals, as we turned a sharp corner. Our 
men upset the baskets and stalls that encroached on the 
road, in the most unceremonious manner; but their pro- 
prietors did not seem to mind, many of them quietly 
moving their wares out of the way as they heard the 
shouts that announced our approach. The smell in the 
fish-market was disgusting, and enough to poison the air 
for miles around, but the people did n,ot seem to mind it 
in the least. 

At last we left the river and town, and, climbing a 
slight eminence, crossed the first moat by a stone bridge, 
and reached the guard-house on the other side. There 
was some hesitation at first about admitting us ; but it 
was soon overcome. This castle, the last stronghold of 
the Tycoon, is built on exactly the same plan as the 
yashgis we had already visited, but much stronger, being 
composed of enormous blocks of stone. One wonders 
how human labor could ever have transported them from 
their quarry to this place, for some measured 40 feet long 
by 20 feet high. We crossed the three moats and the 
three inclosures, now all full of barracks and soldiers. In 
the very center, the old well and a little square tower 
are still standing, part of the Tycoon's original residence, 
which was destroyed by fire. The view from the top 
over the town and surrounding country is very fine. 
You can see countless streams coming from the moun- 
tains, and flowing into Odawarra, on which Osaka is situ- 



THE MINT AT OSAKA. 



323 



ated. The course of the river itself could be traced to the 
bay ; and the line of coast to Kobe, and the far-off moun- 
tains in the Inland Sea, were plainly visible. 

On returning to the Mint we found luncheon awaiting 
us, and afterwards spent a pleasant time looking at a won- 
derful collection of curios. 

The Imperial Mint of Japan is a large handsome 
building, in great force just now, for the whole of the 
old money is being called in and replaced by the govern- 
ment. The contrast between the two moneys is very 
great. The ancient coinage consisted of long thin oval 
obangs and shobangs, worth from two dollars to eighteen 
pounds each, square silver itzeboos, and square copper 
pieces, with a hole in the center ; while that which is 
taking its place is similar to European coinage, and is 
marked in English characters, and ornamented with Japa- 
nese devices, such as the phenix and the dragon. It 
did not seem worth while to go minutely over the Mint, 
as it is arranged on exactly the same principle as the one 
in London, and the processes are carried out in the same 
manner. 

Osaka used to be the emporium of all the inland com- 
merce, and was considered the pearl of Japanese cities. 
After the revolution, and when the Mint was built, there 
was some intention of making it the capital of the em- 
pire. That idea was, however, abandoned ; and the in- 
convenience of having the Mint so far away from the seat 
of government is greatly felt, all the bullion having to be 
sent backwards and forwards at great expense by sea. 
Commerce has now almost deserted Osaka, owing to the 
difficulty experienced by large ships in anchoring near 
the town, and the impossibility of their crossing the bar. 
The foreign consuls and representatives have all left the 
place for the newly established settlement at Kobe, where 
they feel safer, with men-of-war at anchor just under their 
windows. 

There was just time to go round some o the old 



324 



THEATERS AND WAXWORKS. 



streets, arid to some of the shops, before the hour by 
which we were due at the station. Osaka is famous for 
its waxworks and theaters. Five of the best of these 
have, however, been burned down within the last eighteen 
months, with terrible loss of life. We heard that a short 
time ago there was nearly being serious trouble, in con- 
sequence of one of the managers having produced on the 
stage, in a most objectionable manner, a representation 
of the cruel and unprovoked assassination of an officer 
and two men, part of a boat's crew of a French ship. 
The English and French consuls went to the governor of 
the town, who promised that the piece should be stopped, 
and the obnoxious placards announcing the perform- 
ance removed at once. But his instructions were not 
complied with, for the next day the piece was again per- 
formed, and the placards were still there. Some French 
sailors, luckily accompanied by their officers, saw the lat- 
ter, and wanted to tear them down ; but they were per- 
suaded to wait while the consuls were telegraphed for. 
They came at once, and again saw the governor, who 
sent some soldiers to stop the play and remove the bills ; 
and so the affair ended peaceably. 

We reached Kobe about seven o'clock, and went on 
board at once to dinner. 

Saturday, February 10th. — We were to have gone early 
this morning to Arrima, a village in the mountains, situ- 
ated among groves of bamboos, where there are mineral 
springs and a hot-water bath, in which people bathe in 
the old style. But the weather was impossibly bad for 
our intended expedition, with showers of snow and sleet. 
We waited till half-past eleven, and then landed and 
talked of going to Osaka again by train ; but finally de- 
cided that even this was not practicable, and that we had 
better stay and potter about at Kobe and Hiogo. The 
children set out to buy toys, whilst I went with a lady to 
pay another visit to the white horse and monkeys at the 
temple, and then walked on to a waterfall, prettily situ- 
ated in a ravine, a little way behind the town. We after- 



JAPANESE ART. 325 

wards visited several pawnbrokers' shops, at all of which 
there was something interesting to be seen. Many are 
perfect museums ; but their proprietors never seem to 
care much to show you what they have, unless you are 
accompanied by a resident or some one they know. Then 
they invite you into the iron fire-proof ' godown ' or store, 
at the back, and out of funny little boxes and bags and 
parcels produce all sorts of rare and curious things which 
have been sent to them to be sold, or which they may 
possibly have bought themselves. It is not of the slight- 
est use to go to the large shops, full of things, if you 
want anything really good, for you will only find there 
articles specially prepared for the European and Amer- 
ican market. 

I am very glad to hear that Dr. Dresser is here, col- 
lecting, lecturing, and trying to persuade the Japanese to 
adhere to their own forms and taste in art and decora- 
tion. It is a great pity to observe the decadence of native 
art, and at the same time to see how much better the old 
things are than the new. A true Japanese artist never 
repeats himself, and consequently never makes an exact 
pair of anything. His designs agree generally, and his 
vases are more or less alike, without being a precise 
match. He throws in a spray of flowers, a bird, or a fan, 
as the fancy strikes him, and the same objects are there- 
fore never placed in exactly the same relative position. 
Modern articles are made precisely alike, not only in pairs, 
but by the dozen and the hundred. 

There are beautiful bantams to be seen in some of the 
shops here ; but they cannot be bought, as they are private 
pets. They seem generally very small, and one I saw to- 
day had his head far behind his tail, which divided in the 
middle outwards, and fell forward on either side of his 
neck in the most extraordinary way. How he picked up 
his food and got through life, I am sure I don't know. 
There are plenty of little Japanese dogs ; but they are not 
seen to advantage this cold weather, and there would be 
great difficulty in getting them home. 



326 MORE RUMORS OF WAR. 

I bought some fine bantams at Yokohama, and a whole 
cage full of rice-birds. They are the dearest little things, 
and spend most of the day bathing and twittering, occa- 
sionally getting all together into one nest, with their 
twenty-five heads peeping out. They are exactly like a 
magnified grain of rice, with legs and a bill. I hope I 
shall take them home alive, as they have borne the cold 
very well so far. We have also some mandarin ducks on 
board, and some gold and silver fish with two tails. Our 
sailors have over a hundred birds of their own, which never 
appear on deck, except on very sunny days. I don't know 
where they can keep them, unless they stow them away 
in their Japanese cabinets. 

We went on board about dark, and a few friends came 
to dinner. 

Sunday, February nth. — About 7 a.m., two Japanese 
officers came on board with a message which nobody could 
understand. When we went on deck, we saw that all the 
ships were dressed, and concluded that we had been asked 
to do the same ; but we thought it better to send ashore 
to ascertain positively. The next difficulty was to get a 
Japanese flag. Tom went on board the ' Thabor,' a Japa- 
nese ship, to borrow one, and found everything was in 
bustle and confusion, news having arrived from Kiusiu 
that the rebels were mustering in great force, and that 
they had seized some ships. The ' Thabor,' ' Mihu Maru,' 
and three others, are therefore to go through the Inland 
Sea to Nagasaki this afternoon. 

The Japanese admiral sent word early this morning 
that he would come on board at two o'clock with some of 
his captains, and the French admiral also expressed a 
hope that it would be convenient to receive him and his 
captains at three. Their visits occupied nearly all the 
afternoon. We afterwards landed with the French admiral, 
paid some farewell visits, and went to look at a collection 
of old lacquer and Satsuma china, before we returned to 
the yacht. 



CHAPTER XXL 

THE INLAND SEA. 

Dipped in the lines of sunset, wreathed in zones, 
The clouds are resting on their mountain thrones; 
One peak alone exalts its glacier crest, 
A golden paradise above the rest. 
Thither the day with lingering steps retires, 
And in its own blue element expires. 

Monday, February \2th. — Fires were lighted at 4 a.m., 
and by six we were steaming slowly out of the beautiful 
bay of Kobe. It was a cold bright morning, with a strong 
head wind, increasing every moment as we proceeded,' un- 
til, in the straits of Akashi, it became almost impossible 
to make any way against it. There was not much sea, 
but the wind impeded our progress so much that it was 
at last reduced to one mile instead of nine an hour. The 
straits are very fine, and the old castle presents an admi- 
rable specimen of the architecture of a Daimio's resi- 
dence. 

We proceeded across the Harima Nada, where we were 
more or less exposed to the open sea, and where we took 
more water on board than we had done in the gale before 
arriving at Yokohama. There were no big waves, but we 
rolled tremendously, and the spray came over us, though 
the mere force of the wind seemed to keep the sea down. 

After struggling until twelve o'clock, and having done 
but little good for the last three hours, Tom determined 
to run back, and in a short time we found ourselves once 
more at anchor in the harbor of Kobe. It was a work of 
considerable difficulty, owing to the strong wind and tide, 



328 THE TEMPLE OF THE MOON. 

to steer safely among the numerous vessels, and for a few 
minutes we thought we were aground, as we did not make 
the slightest progress, though the engines were working 
ahead full speed. The proveedor's boat came out to us 
as soon as we were perceived, and we landed in her ; but 
it was as much as the six stout oarsmen could do to make 
way against the wind. 

We went for a walk, or rather a scramble, to the water- 
fall, half-way up to the Temple of the Moon. Much of 
the ground was covered with snow, the streams were fro- 
zen at the sides, and there were hanging icicles to be seen, 
six feet in length ; and yet on either side were camellias 
and tea-trees covered with red and white blossoms, orange- 
trees laden with fruit ; gold-fish swimming about in ponds, 
overhung with maidenhair fern, besides pteris and hot- 
house ferns, shaded by bamboos, palms, and castor-oil 
plants. The order of vegetation seems to be as much 
reversed as everything else in this strange country. In 
England all those plants would require conservatories, or 
at least sheltered spots, and the greatest care, instead 
of being exposed to frost and snow. 

Getting on board again was even a more difficult busi- 
ness than landing had been ; but we arrived at last with- 
out mishap. 

Tuesday, February 13th. — The wind dropped at sunset, 
and as it continued calm all night, Tom ordered fires to 
be lighted at 4 a.m. By six o'clock, however, it was 
blowing harder than ever, and we therefore decided to 
make an excursion to Arrima instead of attempting an- 
other start. 

We went ashore to make the necessary arrangements, 
and it was settled that we should start at ten o'clock, 
which we did, with the Consulate constable as our guide. 

We had three men to each jinrikisha, and went along 
at a merry pace through the long straggling towns of 
Kobe and Hiogo. The cold was intense, and before we 
started our ooox jinrikisJia men were shivering until they 



ARRIMA. 329 

nearly shook us out of the vehicles. Soon they were 
streaming with perspiration, and at our first halting-place 
they took off almost all their garments, though it was as 
much as we could do to keep warm in our furs and wraps. 
We waited while they partook copiously of hot tea and 
bowls of rice, and bought new straw shoes, or rather san- 
dals, for less than a farthing a pair. 

To-day being the Japanese New Year's Day, all the 
little shrines in the houses and along the road were pret- 
tily decorated, and had offerings of rice, saki, and fruit 
deposited upon them. The spirits of the departed are 
supposed to come down and partake, not of the things 
themselves, but of the subtle invisible essence that rises 
from them. The road now became very pretty, winding 
through the valleys, climbing up and dipping down the 
various hills, and passing through picturesque villages, 
where all the people, leaving their meals or their games, 
came out to look at us, while some of the children scam- 
pered on to secure a good view of the foreigners, and 
others ran away frightened and screaming. They were all 
dressed in dark blue clothes, turned up with red, with bright 
embroidered obis and flowers in their elaborately dressed 
hair. I have managed to get some dolls' wigs, which give 
a good idea of the various styles of hair-dressing. 

In rather more than three hours we reached Arrima, a 
village far more beautifully situated than any we had seen, 
in the very center of the mountains, where a dozen val- 
leys converge into one center. On one side are mineral 
springs, on the other a river. Bamboos grow luxuriantly 
on all sides, and the inhabitants of the various valleys ob- 
tain their livelihood by manufacturing from them all sorts 
of articles : boxes for every conceivable purpose ; baskets, 
fine and coarse, large and small, useful and ornamental, 
colored and plain ; brushes, pipes, battledores and shuttle- 
cocks, sticks, spoons, knives and forks, sauce ladles, boats, 
lamps, cradles, &c. 

The first glimpse of the village is lovely ; that from 



33° 



A FAIRY AND WAND. 



the bridge that crosses the river is still more so. We 
clambered up narrow streets, with quaint carved houses 
and overhanging balconies, till we reached a tea-house, 
kept by a closely shaven bonze, or priest. He seemed 
very pleased to see us, and bowed and shook hands over 
and over again. He placed his whole house at our dispo- 
sal, and a very clean, pretty, and well-arranged house it 
was, with a lovely little formal garden, ornamented with 
mimic temples and bridges of ice, fashioned by the hard 
frost, with but little assistance from the hand of man. 
Bits of wood and stone, a few graceful fern-leaves and 
sprays of bamboo, and a trickling stream of water pro- 
duced the most fairy-like crystalline effects imaginable. If 
only some good fairy could, with a touch of her wand, 
preserve it all intact until a few months hence, what a de- 
light it would be in the hot summer weather ! 

To-day the paper house was indeed cold ; but even 
so slight a shelter from the bitter wind was acceptable, 
though we regretted the screens could not be opened to 
enable us to admire the prospect on all sides. The lunch- 
eon basket being quickly unpacked, the good priest 
warmed our food and produced a bottle of port wine, 
which he mulled for our benefit. Cheered and refreshed 
we proceeded on our way, leaving him much delighted 
with what seemed to us but a small recompense for his 
courtesy. 

Every house and shop in those narrow picturesque 
streets was a study in itself, and so were the quaint 
groups of people we met, and who gazed eagerly at us. 
We looked into the public baths, two oblong tanks, into 
which the mineral springs came bubbling up, thick and yel- 
low, and strongly impregnated with iron, at a temperature 
of U2°. They are covered in, and there is a rough passage 
round them. Here, in the bathing season, people of both 
sexes stand in rows, packed as tight as herrings in a barrel, 
and there are just as many outside waiting their turn to 
enter. To-day there were only two bathers, immersed up 



MAN-PO WER CARRIA GE. 



331 



to their chins in the steaming water. They had left all 
their clothes at home, and would shortly have to pass 
through the streets without any covering, notwithstand- 
ing the cold. 

From the baths we went to some of the best basket 
shops, where the beauty and cheapness of the articles ex- 
posed for sale offered great temptations. We had to 
disturb our jinrikisha men, who were enjoying their frugal 
meal at a separate tea-house. It was beautifully served, 
and as clean and nicely cooked as possible, though con- 
sisting of viands which we might not have fancied, such 
as various kinds of fish, seaweed, sea-snails (bcche de mer), 
and rice. Each man had his own little table and eight or 
ten separate dishes, a bottle of saki, tea-pipe, and hibatchi, 
arranged exactly as ours had been at the tea-house at 
Yokohama. How well they managed their chop-sticks, 
how quickly they shoveled the food down, and how clean 
they left each dish ! Habit is everything. 

We were anxious to make the best of our way home, 
and starting at four, with but a short stop at the half-way 
tea-house, we reached the hotel soon after seven, having 
taken less than an hour to come five miles over a very 
bad road, an inch deep in mud. So much for a ' man- 
power carriage,' the literal translation of the word jin- 
rikisha* Soon after an excellent dinner we returned on 
board, so as to be ready for an early start to-morrow 
morning. 

Wednesday, February i^tk. — We were called at 4 a.m. 
Fires were lighted, but before steam was up the wind had 
risen ; so our start was once more postponed to the after- 
noon. We steamed out to the buoy, from among the 
shipping, in order to be able to get away more easily at 
night. The wind generally goes down at sunset, and Tom 
hoped that, by taking our departure then, we should get 
through the worst part of the Inland Sea before the wind 
again rose with the sun. 

* Or pull-man-car, as it is sometimes called. 



332 AN ALARM OF WAR. 

After breakfast we went ashore, and dispersed in dif- 
ferent directions, to meet again at the hotel for luncheon. 
Then we all again separated, the children going to the 
circus, whilst I took a drive, with a pair of black and 
white Hakodadi ponies, to the foot of the hills behind the 
town. 

It was a pleasant circuit by pretty valleys, and brought 
us back to the town by a different road. I went to pick 
up the children at the circus, and found them just coming 
out, with delighted faces, having most thoroughly enjoyed 
themselves. They went on board to tea, but Mabelle 
and I went with the Consul in jinrikishas to a Japanese 
theater at Hiogo. The streets were crowded with holi- 
day-makers ; for to-day is the first of the Chinese new 
year, as yesterday was the first of the Japanese new year. 
The floor of the theater was crowded with people, all 
squatting on their heels, each with his or her chow-chow 
box and hibatchi or brazier of burning charcoal to keep 
themselves warm. The performance frequently goes on 
for ten or twelve hours, with short intervals, and whole 
families come and take up their abode at the theater for 
twelve hours at a time. The acting was not at all bad, 
and the performers were beautifully dressed. 

We did not stay very long at the theater, but were 
soon tearing back again through the streets to the Con- 
sulate. These quick rides in a jinrikisha, especially at 
night, are very amusing. You have the pleasure of going 
at a high speed, and yet, being on a level with the people, 
you can see much more of them and of their manners 
than would be possible in a carriage. 

When we reached the Consulate we found the chief of 
the police of the foreign settlement waiting for the Con- 
sul, to inform him that Japanese soldiers were patrolling 
the town with fixed bayonets, alleging that information 
had been sent to the Governor that some of the rebels 
were in the hills at the back of the town, and might ap- 
pear at any moment. The ships-of-war were to be com- 



YACHT ON FIRE. 



333 



municated with at once for the protection of the inhab- 
itants. They do not expect a general attack here, but 
seem to think the rebels' plan is to creep up by degrees 
to Osaka, where the Mikado is shortly expected to stay, 
and take possession of his person and the imperial treas- 
ure at one blow. 

When I got on board the 'Sunbeam' again, I found that 
steam was up and all was ready for starting ; but the wind 
was still strong against us, and it was evidently necessary 
again to wait until four o'clock to-morrow morning. 

We were rolling a good deal, and, coming along the 
engine-room passage, my foot slipped, a door banged to, 
and my thumb was caught in the hinge and terribly 
crushed. Dressing it was a very painful affair, as the 
doctor had to ascertain whether the bone was broken, and 
I fainted during the operation. At last I was carried to 
my cabin and put to bed, after taking a strong dose of 
chloral to soothe the agonizing pain. 

Thursday, February \$tk. — I wonder if anybody who 
has not experienced it can realize the stupefying, helpless 
sensation of being roused up from a sound sleep, in the 
middle of the night, on board ship, by the cry of ' Fire ! ' 
and finding one's self enveloped in a smoke so dense as to 
render everything invisible. 

At 2.30 a.m. I was awakened by a great noise and a 
loud cry of ' The ship is on fire ! ' followed by Mr. Bing- 
ham rushing into our cabin to arouse us. At first I could 
hardly realize where we were, or what was happening, 
as I was half stupid with chloral, pain, and smoke, which 
was issuing from each side of the staircase in dense vol- 
umes. My first thought was for the children, but I found 
they had not been forgotten. Rolled up in blankets, they 
were already in transit to the deck-house. In the mean- 
time Mr. Bingham had drenched the flames with every 
available jug of water, and Tom had roused the crew, 
and made them screw the hose on to the pump. They 
were afraid to open the hatches, to discover where the fire 



334 



USEFUL EXTINCTEURS. 







was, until the hose and extincteurs were ready to work, as 
they did not know whether or not the hold was on fire, and 
the whole ship might burst into a blaze the moment the 

air was admitted. Allen 
soon appeared with an ex- 
tincteur on his back, and the 
mate with the hose. Then 
the cupboard in Mr. Bing- 
ham's room was opened, 
and burning cloaks, dresses, 
boxes of curios, portman- 
teaus, &c, were hauled out, 
and, by a 
chain o f 
men, sent 
on deck, 
where 
they were 
d r e nched 
with sea- 
water or 
thrown 
overboard. 
Moving 
these 
thin g s 
caused the 
flames to 
increase in 

vigor, and the extinct eur Was used freely, and with the 
greatest success. It is an invaluable invention, espe- 
cially for a yacht, where there are so many holes and 
corners which it would be impossible to reach by or- 
dinary means. All this time the smoke was pouring in 
volumes from the cupboard on the other side, and from 
under the nursery fire-place. The floors were pulled up, 
and the partitions were pulled down, until at last the 




The Yacht on Fire. 



CAUSE OF THE FIRE. 



335 



flames were got under. The holds were next examined. 
No damage had been done there ; but the cabin floor 
was completely burned through, and the lead from the 
nursery fireplace was running about, melted by the 
heat. 

The explanation of the cause of the fire is very simple. 
Being a bitterly cold night, a roaring fire had been made 
up in the nursery, but about half-past ten the servants 
thought it looked rather dangerous and raked it out. 
The ashpan was not large enough, however, to hold the 
hot embers, which soon made the tiles red-hot. The wood- 
work caught fire, and had been smoldering for hours, when 
the nurse fortunately woke and discovered the state of 
affairs. She tried to rouse the other maids, but they were 
stupefied with the smoke, and so she rushed off at once 
to the doctor and Mr. Bingham. The former seized a 
child under each arm, wrapped them in blankets, and car- 
ried them off to the deck-house, Mabelle and the maids 
following, with more blankets and rugs, hastily snatched 
up. The children were as good as possible. They never 
cried nor made the least fuss, but composed themselves 
in the deck-house to sleep for the remainder of the night, 
as if it were all a matter of course. When I went to see 
them, little Muriel remarked, ' If the yacht is on fire, 
mamma, had not Baby and I better get our ulsters, and 
go with Emma in the boat to the hotel, to be out of the 
way ? ' It is the third time in their short lives that they 
have been picked out of bed in the middle of the night 
and carried off in blankets away from a fire, so I suppose 
they are getting quite used to it. 

There can be no doubt that the preservation of the 
yacht from very serious damage, if not from complete de- 
struction, was due to the prompt and efficient manner in 
which the extincteurs were used. It was not our first ex- 
perience of the value of this invention ; for, not very long 
before we undertook our present expedition, a fire broke 
out in our house in London, on which occasion the extinc- 



$$6 INLAND SEA. 



tears we fortunately had at hand rendered most excellent 
service in subduing the flames. 

By half-past three all danger was past, and we began 
to settle down again, though it took a long time to get rid 
of the smoke. 

At four o'clock we weighed anchor, and once more 
made a start from Kobe, and passed through the Straits 
of Akaski. The wind was dead ahead, but not so strong 
as when we made our previous attempts. It was bitterly 
cold, the thermometer, in a sheltered place, being only one 
degree above freezing, and the breeze from the snowy 
mountains cutting like a knife. 

We were all disappointed with our sail to-day ; per- 
haps because we had heard so much of the extreme beauty 
of the scenery, and this is not the best time of year for 
seeing it. The hills are all brown, instead of being cov- 
ered with luxuriant vegetation, and all looked bleak and 
barren, though the outlines of the mountain ranges were 
very fine. We were reminded of the west coast of Scot- 
land, the Lofoden Islands in the Arctic Circle, and the 
tamer portions of the scenery of the Straits of Magellan. 

After passing through the Straits, we crossed the 
Harima Nada — rather a wider portion of the sea — and 
then entered the intricate channels among the islands 
once more. There are three thousand of them altogether, 
so one may take it for granted that the navigation is by 
no means easy. The currents and tides are strong, 
sunken rocks are frequent, and the greatest care is req- 
uisite. Indeed, many people at Yokohama urged Tom 
to take a pilot. 

We had one lovely view in the afternoon of the island 
of Yoken San, with its snowy mountain at the back, and 
a pretty little village, with a few picturesque junks in 
the foreground. The yacht passed between Oki Sama 
and Le Sama, steering straight for the cone-shaped little 
island of Odutsi. Towards dusk we made the light of 
Nabae Sinaon Yo Sina, and, steering past it, had to take 






ON FIRE AGAIN. ■ 337 

several sharp and awkward turns, to avoid two reefs off 
Siyako and Usi Suria. Thus we threaded the St. Vin- 
cent's Channel, and, avoiding the Conqueror bank by 
another sharp turn, dropped anchor at Imo Ura, in Hu- 
risima, precisely at 8.30 p.m. Tom had been on the 
lookout since 5 a.m., and we were all more or less worn 
out with the fatigue and excitement of last night. 

Friday, February 16th. — Off again at 4 a.m. The 
scenery was much finer than yesterday, and the wind 
not quite so bitterly cold. 

About 1 1 a.m. I heard a hurrying to and fro, and 
once more the cry of ' Fire ! ' This time it was in the 
store-room that it broke out. The iron plates on which 
the saloon and galley grates are fixed had become red-hot, 
and the wooden deck below had consequently caught 
fire. The boxes on both sides, containing the stores, 
were in flames ; but they were quickly removed, water 
was poured down, and the second and 'third fires were 
thus soon extinguished. 

Saturday, February ijth. — At 3.15 a.m. we began to 
slow ; at 3.45 the anchor was dropped near the lighthouse 
of Isaki, and we waited until daylight before proceeding 
through the Straits of Simono-seki. About nine o'clock 
a fresh start was made, under steam, but before long the 
wind freshened, and as soon as the anchorage near the 
town was reached we let go once more, near two men-of- 
war, who had preceded us from Kobe, but who were now 
wind-bound, like ourselves. 

To our astonishment, we also saw a large ship from 
Nova Scotia at anchor, the ' Mary Fraser,' although this 
is not a free port, nor within treaty limits. The gig was 
lowered at once, and we rowed alongside to gain what 
intelligence could be learned, as well as to ascertain what 
likelihood there might be of our obtaining fresh supplies 
here. The captain was very civil and kind, and volun- 
teered to go on shore with us and act as our interpreter. 
We landed opposite a large tea-house, where we were 
22 



338 



A CLOSED FORT. 



immediately surrounded by a crowd of Japanese, who 
stared at us eagerly and even touched us, only through 
curiosity. They pursued us wherever we went, and 
when we entered a tea-house or shop the whole crowd 
immediately stopped, and if we retired to the back they 
surged all over the front premises, and penetrated into 
the interior as far as they could. A most amusing scene 
took place at one of the tea-houses, where we went to 
order some provisions for the yacht. It was rather a 
tedious process, and when we came out of the back room 
we found the whole of the front of the place filled by 
a gaping, curious crowd. The proprietor suggested that 
they should retire at once, and an abrupt retreat imme- 
diately took place, the difficulties of which were greatly 
augmented by the fact that every one had left his high 
wooden shoes outside, along the front of the house. The 
street was ankle deep in mud and half-melted snow, into 
which they did not like to venture in their stockings ; 
but how the owners of two or three hundred pairs of 
clogs, almost exactly alike, ever found their own prop- 
erty again I do not understand, though they managed 
to clear out very quickly. I believe Muriel and I were 
the chief objects of attraction. They told us that no 
European lady or child had ever been at Simono-seki 
before. It is not a treaty port, so no one is allowed 
to land, except from a man-of-war, without special per- 
mission, which is not often given ; it is, besides, the key 
to the Inland Sea, and the authorities are very jealous 
about any one seeing the forts. There is only one Euro- 
pean resident here, connected with the telegraph ; and 
a dull time he must have of it. The wire crosses the 
Straits a few miles higher up. 

The streets appeared to be full of soldiers, patrolling 
singly and in pairs, with fixed bayonets. The temples 
were being used as barracks, and the principal buildings 
seemed to be strongly guarded ; but otherwise everything 
appeared to go on as usual. 



AMONG THE ISLANDS. 



339 



We waded through the mud and snow to the prover- 
bial end of all things, always followed by the same crowd, 
and stared at by all the inhabitants of the houses we 
passed. They seemed very timid, and inclined to run 
away directly we turned round. Still, their curiosity, 
especially respecting my sealskin jacket and serge dress, 
was insatiable, and I constantly felt myself being gently 
stroked and touched. 

We returned to the yacht, and whilst we were at lunch 
some officers came on board to say that, this not being a 
treaty port, we could not purchase any provisions, except 
through them, and with special permission. This was 
soon arranged, and our visitors were rewarded for their 
trouble by being shown over the yacht. 

Sunday, February i%tk. — We were awakened in the 
night by a heavy gale, with snow and sleet beating 
furiously on the deck. In the morning the land was 
covered with snow, the water froze as it was pumped on 
deck, and the bitter wind howled and whistled through 
the rigging. In the afternoon the wind even increased in 
violence, the snowstorms became more frequent, and the 
sky was dark and overcast. 

We had service at eleven and again at four. The sun 
set cold and stormy, promising a wild night. At times 
the shore was quite hidden by the snowstorms, though 
only a few cables' lengths off. 

Monday, February igth. — The wind and weather be- 
came worse than ever, and, as time was precious, Tom 
decided to retrace our steps for a short distance and go 
through the Bungo Channel, between the islands of Sikok 
and Kiusiu, instead of going out to sea through the 
Simono-seki Straits, as, in the latter case, the gale would 
be right in our teeth, and we should make but little prog- 
ress. Now we shall be under the shelter of Kiusiu and 
the Linschoten and Luchu islands for at least two days, 
and so make a fair wind of it. Steering due south, too, 
we may hope to be soon out of this horrid weather. The 



340 



SAIL FOR HONGKONG. 



only drawback to this plan is that we shall miss seeing 
Nagasaki, which I much regret. There are no great sights 
there, but the scenery is pretty, and the place is interest- 
ing owing to the fact that it was the first, and for many 
years the only, port open to foreigners, and also the scene 
of the cruel murders of Christians and the site of the 
beautiful island of Pappenberg. Shanghai I do not think 
I regret so much, though Tom would have been interested 
to talk with the merchants about their commerce, and to 
see their houses, many of which are, I am told, perfect 
palaces. It would be very cold there, too, at this time of 
year ; and I do so long to lose my cough and feel warm 
once more. 

At 8.30 p.m. we weighed and proceeded under steam. 
The views of the mountains, between the snowstorms, 
were lovely, with the fresh-fallen snow shining in an oc- 
casional gleam of sunshine. We soon passed the Isaki 
light, with wind and tide in our favor, and at sunset 
found ourselves in the open waters of the North Pa- 
cific. 

Tuesday, February 20th. — A lovely day ; the ther- 
mometer already twenty degrees higher than it was yes- 
terday. The wind had dropped, and at 10 a.m. it had 
become so calm that fires were lighted. 

It was delightful to see everybody and everything on 
board — people, children, animals, and birds, all and each 
sunning themselves, and trying to get thawed after the 
freezing they have had. We have unfortunately lost one 
of the Hawaiian geese, which I much regret, as it is irre- 
placeable. None have, I believe, ever been exported be- 
fore. The pig from Harpe Island is very well. We have 
not seen him all the cold weather, as he has been buried 
in straw in a box, but they say that the cold has stopped 
his growth. 

We were continually passing islands throughout the 
day, sometimes six or seven being in sight at one time, 
some with active and more with extinct volcanoes. We 



GRADUALLY THAWLNG. 34 1 

saw smoke issuing from three of the cones, but by night 
we were too far off to notice the flames. 

Wednesday, February 21st. — The calm still continues. 
The sun is bright, the sky blue, and the atmosphere warm. 
During the night we passed Suwa Sima, Akuisi Sima, and 
Yoko Sima. 

In the afternoon a light breeze sprang up ; we stopped 
steaming, and before nightfall were bowling along smooth- 
ly at the rate of ten knots. 

Thursday, February 22d. — The same delightful breeze 
continued throughout the night and most of the day. 
By noon we had done 220 miles. Everybody had on sum- 
mer clothes, and we all felt ourselves gradually expand- 
ing after being shriveled up by the cold of the last 
month. 

I should never recommend anybody to come to Japan 
in the winter. You do not see it at its best, I am sure, 
and the scanty protection afforded by houses and car- 
riages makes traveling a penance rather than a pleasure. 
Travelers, however, who wish to see Japan should do so 
at once ; for the country is changing every day, and in 
three years more will be so Europeanized that little will 
be left worth seeing ; or a violent anti-foreign revulsion of 
feeling may have taken place, and then the ports will be 
closed more strictly than they were even before the ex- 
ecution of the first treaty. Nothing that we can give 
them do they really want ; their exports are not large ; 
and they have learned nearly all they care to know from 
the foreigner. We have seen many of the European en- 
gineers of Japanese vessels, and they all agree in declaring 
that the natives learn to imitate anything they see done 
with wonderful quickness. These men also averred that 
in a few years there will not be a single foreigner em- 
ployed in Japan, as the Japanese will be quite in a posi- 
tion to dispense with such aid ; and although the govern- 
ment pays foreigners in a high position exceedingly well, 
their service offers no career to a young man. His en- 



342 



A CHINESE PILOT. 



gagement is for so many years, and when his subordinates 
have learned to do the work, he may go where he likes. 
I am bound to add that I have heard the contrary opinion 
equally strongly expressed ; but the facts I have men- 
tioned make me lean rather to the former than to the 
latter side of the story. 

Friday, February 23d. — Another pleasant day. The 
wind dropped, fires were lighted, and at 4.30 p.m. we pro- 
ceeded under steam. Soon after seven, whilst we were at 
dinner, the table gave a sudden lurch, which was followed 
by the sound of rain on the deck above. We found that a 
breeze had sprung up all at once, and had carried away 
some of our head-sails before they could possibly be 
taken in. Even under close-reefed canvas we had a most 
uneasy night, racing along at from ten to twelve knots an 
hour. 

Saturday, February 2/^th. — We were rushing along, 
literally through the water all day, for there was plenty of 
it on deck — not really any great quantity, but sufficient 
to make everything wet and uncomfortable. 

At 1.35 we made the island of Ockseu, a capital land- 
fall, and very satisfactory in every way ; for the sky was 
too much overcast to get an observation, and the currents 
hereabouts are strong and variable. During the night 
the wind fell light, but we maintained a speed of from 
nine to ten knots. 

Sunday, February 2$th. — A much finer day. At 8 
a.m. we had run 299 knots since the same time yester- 
day. We met a large steamer and pased a brigantine ; 
also several Chinese junks. About twelve o'clock we saw 
a flag being waved frantically from a junk not far from us. 
At first we thought something was wrong with them ; but 
soon a small boat put off with three men, and we found 
on its arrival alongside that it contained a pilot' anxious 
for a job. He was very disappointed that we would not 
let him come on board ; but Tom always likes doing the 
pilotage himself. The boat was a rough wash-tub kind of 



KO WLOON PA SSA GE. 



343 



affair, not much better than those used by the inhabitants 
of Terra del Fuego and Patagonia. 

About two o'clock we entered the tropics ; but the 
weather is now colder again, and not nearly so pleasant 
as it was two days ago. I suppose it is owing to the 
north-east monsoon. 

In the course of the afternoon we received several 
more offers of pilotage, all of which were declined ; and 
at 7.45 we got up steam and lay-to all night, ready to go 
into Hongkong harbor at daylight. 

Monday, February 26th. — At 4 a.m. we found ourselves 
close under the light on the eastern end of the island of 
Hongkong. We were surrounded by islands, and the 
morning was dark and thick; so we waited till 5.30, and 
then steamed on through the Kowloon passage up to the 
city of Victoria, as it is really named, though it is gener- 
ally called Hongkong. The channel is long, and in some 
places so narrow that it is like going through a mountain 
pass, with barren hills and rocks on either hand ; but the 
combined effect of the blue waters, and red, brown, and 
yellow hills, is very fine. 

Off the town of Victoria the crowd of shipping is im- 
mense, and it became a difficult task to thread our way 
between the fleets of sampans and junks. The latter are 
the most extraordinary-looking craft I ever saw, with 
high, overhanging sterns, and roll, or rather draw, up sails, 
sometimes actually made of silk, and puffed like a lady's 
net ball-dress. Then their decks are so crowded with 
lumber, live and dead, that you wonder how the boats 
can be navigated at all. But still they are much more 
picturesque than the Japanese junks, and better sea 
boats. The sampans are long boats, pointed at both 
ends, and provided with a small awning. They have deep 
keels ; and underneath the floor there is one place for a 
cooking fire, another for an altar, and a third where the 
children are stowed to be out of the way. In these sam- 
pans whole families, sometimes five generations, live and 



344 SAMPANS. 

move and have their being. I never shall forget my as- 
tonishment when, going ashore very early one morning in 
one of these strange craft, the proprietor lifted up what I 
had thought was the bottom of the boat, and disclosed 
three or four children, packed away as tight as herrings, 
while under the seats were half a dozen people of larger 
growth. The young mother of the small family generally 
rows with the smallest baby strapped on to her back, and 
the next-sized one in her arms, whom she is also teaching 
to row. The children begin to row by themselves when 
they are about two years old. The boys have a gourd, 
intended for a life-preserver, tied round their necks as 
soon as they are born. The girls are left to their fate, 
a Chinaman thinking it rather an advantage to lose a 
daughter or two occasionally. 

Many of these sampan people have never set foot on 
shore in their lives, and this water-life of China is one of 
the most extraordinary features of the country. It is what 
strikes all travelers, and so has tempted me to a digression. 

A lieutenant from the flag-ship came on board and 
piloted us into a snug berth, among the men-of-war, and 
close to the shore, where we were immediately surrounded 
by sampans, and pestered by pertinacious Chinese clam- 
bering on board. The donkey-engine, with well-rigged 
hose, soon, however, cleared the decks, bulwarks, and gang- 
ways, and we were not bothered any more. 

After breakfast we landed on the Praya, a fine quay, 
extending the whole length of the town. On it are situ- 
ated many of the large stores, offices, and markets of the 
city. The streets are wide and handsome, and the build- 
ings in European style, with deep verandas and arcades, 
all built of stone. The town is built on the side of a hill, 
with ferny, moss-covered banks, overhung by tropical trees, 
close to some of the principal offices. At the back are the 
mountains, the peak overhead, with the signal station on 
the top, always busily at work, making and answering sig- 
nals with flags as ships and junks enter or leave the har- 



PIGEON ENGLISH, 345 

bor. Soldiers and sailors abound in the streets ; and if 
it were not for the sedan-chairs and palanquins, in which 
everybody is carried about by Chinese coolies with enor- 
mous hats, one might easily fancy one's self at dear old 
Gib., so much do these dependencies of the Crown in 
foreign countries resemble one another, even in such op- 
posite quarters of the globe. 

• We were very anxious to leave the yacht here and to 
go up to Canton ; but we find there is no possible hotel at 
the latter place. This is rather unfortunate, as, after our 
long residence on board, and all the knocking about at sea, 
the yacht requires repairing and refitting. She looks very 
well painted white, and the change is a great comfort in 
hot weather; but white paint does not wear well, and in 
order to maintain her good looks she ought to receive a 
fresh coat at every port. We can only go up the Pearl 
River at the very top of the tide, for in several places 
there are not fourteen feet of water over the shoals. It 
will, therefore, take us two or three days to accomplish 
what the steamers do in six hours, and a great waste of 
time will be involved. 

To-day, for the first time, we have heard ' pidgin Eng- 
lish ' seriously spoken. It is very trying to one's com- 
posure to hear grave merchants, in their counting-houses, 
giving important orders to clerks and compradors in what 
sounds, until one gets accustomed to it, like the silliest of 
baby-talk. The term really means ' business English ; ' 
and certain it is that most Chinamen you meet understand 
it perfectly, though you might just as well talk Greek 
as ordinary English to them. ' Take piecey missisy one 
piecey bag topside,' seems quite as difficult to understand 
as ' Take the lady's bag upstairs ' would be ; but it is 
easier to a Chinaman's intellect. 

From the Praya we went up the hill to write our names 
in the Governor's book. It was a beautiful road all the 
way, running between lovely gardens and beneath shady 
trees. Government House is a fine building, situated on 



346 HONGKONG RACES. 

a high point of land, commanding extensive views in every 
direction. After a pleasant chat we descended the hill 
again, and proceeded to the Hongkong hotel for tiffin. It 
does not seem a very desirable abode, being large, dirty, 
and ill-kept. At one o'clock a bell rang, and the visitors 
all rushed in and took their places at various little tables, 
and were served with a ' scrambly ' sort of meal by Chinese 
boys. 

After this, a carriage was sent for us, and we drove to 
the race-course. This is the fourth and last day of the 
races, and there is to be a ball to-night to wind up with, 
to which everybody seems to be going. The drive was a 
very pleasant one, the road presenting a most animated 
appearance, with crowds of soldiers, sailors, Chinamen, 
Parsees, Jews, all hurrying along by the side of the nu- 
merous sedan-chairs and carriages. We were puzzled to 
imagine where, on this rocky, hilly island, there could pos- 
sibly be found a piece of ground flat enough for a race- 
course. But the mystery was solved when we reached a 
lovely little valley, about two miles from the town, where 
we found a very fair course, about the size of that at 
Chester, but not so dangerous. The grand stand is a pic- 
turesque object, with its thatched roof, verandas, and sun- 
blinds. The interior, too, looks comfortably arranged, and 
certainly contains the most luxurious basket-chairs one 
could possibly desire. There are a lawn and a paddock 
attached, and very good temporary stables, over many of 
which are private stands and tiffin-rooms. 

Hongkong races are a great event, and people come 
down from Canton, Shanghai, Macao, and all sorts of 
places for them. Everybody knows everybody, and it 
seems to be altogether a most pleasant social meeting. 
Many ladies were present. Some of the races were capi- 
tal, the little Chinese ponies scuttling along at a great 
pace under their big riders, whose feet seemed almost to 
touch the ground. There also was a race for Australian 
horses. But the most amusing: event of all was the last 



THE WHITE SHIP. 



347 



scramble for Chinese ponies ridden by Chinese boys, in 
which horses and riders seemed to be exactly suited to 
one another. 

The sun went down, and it grew cold and dark before 
all was over. The gentlemen walked back to the town, 
and I went down to the landing-place in solitary state, in 
a carriage driven by an Indian coachman, attended by a 
Chinese footman. I was immediately surrounded by a 
vociferating crowd, each individual member of which was 
anxious to extol the merits of his own sampan. The car- 
riage having driven off, I was quite alone, and had some 
difficulty in dispersing them, and being allowed to enter 
the sampan I had selected. However, I did succeed at 
last, and making my boatmen understand that they were 
to take me to ' the white ship,' as the yacht is generally 
called, returned on board to rest. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

TO CANTON UP THE PEARL RIVER. 

Sails of silk and ropes of sandal 

Such as gleam in ancient lore, 
And the singing of the sailors, 

And the answer from the shore. 

Tuesday, February 2jth. — Until half-past ten we were 
occupied in the pleasant task of reading news from home 
— all good this time, I am happy to say. At 10.30 we 
landed and went up the hill to breakfast with Sir Arthur 
and Miss Kennedy, and heard a good deal about the col- 
ony. It is wonderful to think that thirty years ago it 
scarcely existed, and now it is a large and flourishing 
place, with splendid houses, institutions, roads, and gar- 
dens. We were also most agreeably surprised by the 
beauty of the scenery. It is really lovely, and, though 
the hills around are barren, wherever cultivation has been 
attempted, vegetation appears to flourish luxuriantly. 
The climate cannot be very bad, judging by the healthy 
look of the residents and troops. Typhoons seem to be 
the greatest drawback. They come without any warn- 
ing, and it is impossible to guard against them and their 
disastrous effects. Thousands of lives, and millions of 
pounds' worth of property, are destroyed in a few hours. 
We have been shown some of the effects of a very severe 
typhoon that occurred in 1874. It seems almost incredi- 
ble that the mere force of the wind can snap iron posts 
in two, break granite columns, and blow off heavy roofs. 

After breakfast the ceremony of presenting the de- 
parting Governor with a state umbrella took place. It 

348 



VICTORIA PEAK. 349 

was a token of respect from ten thousand Chinese inhabit- 
ants of Hongkong, and is the greatest compliment that 
can be paid to any official. It arrived in a large camphor- 
wood box, and the address, beautifully embroidered in 
goldthread and silk, was inclosed in a magnificent sandal- 
wood box about four feet long, covered with the richest 
carving. Precisely at twelve some forty vermilion-colored 
visiting cards were handed in, with the name of each 
member of the deputation written in Chinese and Eng- 
lish characters. The visitors were all received in a large 
drawing-room, whilst we ladies observed the proceedings 
through the doors leading from a smaller room. It is not 
considered etiquette by the Chinese for ladies to appear 
at these public ceremonies. 

After it was all over, a stroll through the town, and a 
look at the shops, filled up the rest of the time in the 
morning, until Ave went on board to fetch the children for 
an expedition up the Peak to the signal station. As 
usual many visitors came on board the yacht, and it was 
later than we had intended before we could make a start. 
I had to be carried up the steep ascent in a chair, but 
the children and dogs thoroughly enjoyed themselves 
scampering about. The little ones picked heaps of flowers 
and ferns. The dogs had not been allowed to land before, 
as everybody told me they would be sure to be stolen 
directly. We returned on board before sunset, and had 
time for a little rest before some friends arrived to dinner. 
We have shipped two Chinese boys here to work in the 
pantry and kitchen. They are excellent servants as a 
rule, but how they will get on with the others, and how 
they will like the sea-life, remains to be proved. 

Wednesday, February 2SI/1. — I was up and off at half- 
past six to the market, and returned to a late breakfast on 
board ; after which a large party of China merchants came 
as a deputation to invite Tom to fix a day to dine with 
them* I think they proposed to pay him what is for them 
an unusual compliment, partly because they were pleased 



35° 



HONGKONG PICKPOCKET. 



with some remarks he made yesterday at Government 
House, and partly because they think so much of his enter- 
prise in making a voyage round the world in a yacht with 
his wife and family. They examined everything on board, 
and seemed to be specially interested in Tom's Board of 
Trade certificate, which one of their number translated in 
full for the benefit of the rest. 

Later in the afternoon we drove through the Chinese 
town to the native theater. 

The Chinese part of the town stands quite away from 
the foreign settlement. It is dirty and crowded in spite 
of its wide streets, and the large, gayly colored houses 
have the names and advertisements of their proprietors 
painted all across them. The theater is in the middle of 
the city, and was densely crowded. A box had been 
reserved for us, for the ordinary seats are like a carpenter's 
bench. On the floor of the house men and women sat 
together, but in the galleries the men sat apart, and there 
were separate boxes for the women. The acting was 
rough, and accompanied by the most discordant music. 
The scenery seemed of an excessively rudimentary de- 
scription, as you may imagine when I tell you that a steep 
hill up which the hero and heroine climbed with great 
difficulty was composed of five kitchen chairs arranged in 
a pyramid on the top of three kitchen tables, held in 
position by men in their ordinary dress. The fugitives 
were supposed to be a Tartar general and his wife, escap- 
ing from their enemies after a great battle. The fighting 
was renewed at intervals with great noise and spirit. 
Some of the costumes were very fine, and cost from £30 
to ,£40 apiece. 

From the theater we drove to the Chinese hospital, 
and thence to the Chinese recreation ground, where we 
saw sundry itinerant quacks and venders of all sorts of 
rubbish. As we were walking along, having left our chairs 
for a few minutes to look at the Chinese shops, a man 
picked my pocket of a one-dollar note. Mr. Freer and 



PIRA TES. 



35* 



the Doctor saw, pursued and caught him. He vehe- 
mently protested his innocence, but to no avail. They 
proceeded to strip him, found the note, gave him a good 
shaking, and told him to go. 

Thursday, March ist. — A most lovely morning ushered 
in the new month, which, having come in like the most 
peaceable of lambs, will, we hope, not end like a roaring 
lion just as we expect to be in the middle of the Bay of 
Bengal. We left the yacht at 7.30, and went on board 
the ' Kin-Shan,' which is a regular American river steamer 
with beam engines and many deck-houses, which are 
painted white. The lower deck is crowded with the most 
inferior class of Chinese, some eight hundred of them be- 
ing on board. It gave us rather a turn to see them all 
padlocked in under the hatchways and iron gratings. At 
each opening is posted an armed sentinel, ready to fire 
among the crowd in case of any disturbance. In the 
saloon, also, is a stand of pistols, and rifles with fixed bay- 
onets, ready for the European passengers to defend them- 
selves with, in case of emergency. These are very neces- 
sary precautions, on account of the numerous pirates who 
occasionally ship in disguise among the crowd, murder the 
passengers and crew, and take possession of the steamer. 
Not quite two years ago a vessel belonging to this same 
company was assailed in that way. Every one on board 
was murdered, and the ship taken to Macao.* But this 
voyage was more prosperous, the captain was most kind 
and polite, and the boat clean and comfortable. An ex- 
cellent breakfast was served at nine o'clock, and an elab- 
orate tiffin at noon, all for the sum of four dollars a head, 
including wine, beer, and spirits ad libitum. 

On first leaving Hankow the course lies between 
islands and through fine mountain passes. Later on, 
the country becomes flat and uninteresting till the Bogue 

* I have since been told that only the captain and one or two pas- 
sengers were killed, and the vessel run ashore near (not at) Macao. 



352 



SHAME EN. 






Forts are reached. Here are to be seen the remains of 
the old forts knocked down by the French and English 
guns. 

About one o'clock we reached Whampoa, the leading 
port of Canton. The Pearl River is too shallow for large 
steamers to go up any higher ; so we stopped here only a 
few minutes to disembark some of the Chinese passengers, 
M and from this point the interesting part of the voyage be- 
gan. The river, as well as all the little supplementary 
creeks, was alive with junks and sampans — masts and sails 
stuck up in every direction, gliding about among the flat 
paddy-fields. Such masts and sails as they are ! The 
mandarins' boats, especially, are so beautifully carved, 
painted, and decorated, that they look more as if they 
were floating about for ornament than for use. Just 
about two o'clock our large steamer was brought up close 
alongside the wooden pier as easily as a skiff, but it must 
require some skill to navigate this crowded river without 
accident. On the shore was an excited, vociferating 
crowd, but no one came to meet us ; and we had begun to 
wonder what was to become of us — what we should do, 
and whither we should go in a strange city, where we did 
not know a soul — when we were relieved from our embar- 
rassment by the appearance of the Vice -Consul, who 
came on board to meet a friend. He told us that, owing 
to an expected ball, all the houses were unusually full, and 
that not one of the people who had been written to could 
take us in. This was rather bad news, but we felt sure 
that something would turn up. 

We landed, and after proceeding a short distance along 
the dirty street, came to a bridge with iron gates, which 
were thrown open by the sentry. After crossing a dirty 
stream we found ourselves in the foreign settlement — 
Shameen it is called — walking on nice turf, under the 
shade of fine trees. The houses of the merchants which 
line this promenade are all fine, handsome stone buildings, 
with deep verandas. At the back there are compounds 



HOSPITALITY. 



353 



with kitchen gardens, and under the trees dairy cows 
are grazing. Every household appears to supply itself 
with garden and farm produce, and the whole scene has a 
most English, home-like appearance. We went first to 
the Vice-Consul, and then to the Jardine Hong. All the 
business houses retain the names of the firms to which 
they originally belonged, even when they have passed into 
entirely different hands. After a little chat we went on ' 
to the Deacon Hong, where we found they had just done 
tiffin, and where we met some old friends. 

By the kindness of various people, to whom we were 
introduced, w r e all found ourselves gradually installed in 
luxurious quarters. As for us, we had a large room com- 
fortably furnished in English fashion, with a bath-room 
attached. All the houses are very much alike, and are 
fitted up in an equally comfortable style. 

About three o'clock we started in five chairs, with 
Man-look-Chin for our guide. Tom vigorously protested 
against not being allowed to use his own legs, but every- 
body assured him that it was impossible in the crowded 
streets of the city, so he had to submit to being carried. 
No Chinaman, except those employed by foreigners, is 
allowed to cross any of the bridges over the stream, 
which completely surrounds the foreign settlement, and 
makes the suburb of Shameen a perfect island. There 
are iron gates on each bridge, guarded by sentries. The 
contrast in the state of things presented by the two 
sides of the bridge is most marvelous. From the quiet 
country park, full of large villas and pretty gardens, you 
emerge into a filthy city, full of a seething, dirty popu- 
lation, and where smells and sights of the most disgust- 
ing description meet you at every turn. People who 
have seen many Chinese cities say that Canton is the 
cleanest of them all. What the dirtiest must be like is 
therefore beyond my imagination. The suburbs of the 
city, where all sorts of cheap eating-shops abound — where 
the butchers and fishmongers expose the most untempt- 
2 3 



354 



CANTON STREETS. 



ing-looking morsels for sale, and where there are hampers 
of all sorts of nasty-looking compounds, done up ready 
for the buyer of the smallest portion to take home — are 
especially revolting. The Chinese, however poor, like 
several courses to their meals, which are served in little 
bowls on a small table to each person, and eaten with 
chop-sticks, as in Japan. It is to gratify this taste that 
what we should think a very minute fish, or a tiny chick- 
en, is cut up into half a dozen pieces and sold to several 
purchasers. 

The Chinese are very fond of fish, and are most in- 
genious in propagating, rearing, and keeping them. The 
dried-fish and seaweed shops are not at all picturesque or 
sweet-smelling, especially as all the refuse is thrown into 
the streets in front. Men go about the streets carrying 
pails of manure, suspended on bamboo poles across their 
shoulders, and clear away the rubbish as they go. I was 
very glad when we got through all this to the better part 
of the town, and found ourselves in a large shop, where it 
was cool, and dark, and quiet. 

The streets of the city are so narrow, that two chairs 
can scarcely pass one another, except at certain points. 
The roofs of the houses nearly meet across the roadway, 
and, in addition, the inhabitants frequently spread mats 
overhead, rendering the light below dim and mysterious. 
Every shop has a large vermilion-colored board, with the 
name of its occupant written in Chinese characters, to- 
gether with a list of the articles which he sells, hung out 
in front of it, so that the view down the narrow streets is 
very bright and peculiar. These highways and byways 
are not unlike the bazaars at Constantinople and Cairo, 
and different wares are also sold in different localities after 
the Eastern fashion. This is, in some respects, a great 
advantage, as, if you are in search of any particular article, 
you have almost an unlimited choice of whatever the 
town has to offer. But, on the other hand, if you want a 
variety of articles, it is an inconvenient arrangement, as 



TEMPLE OF FIVE HUNDRED GENII. 



355 



you have to go all over the place to find them, and prob- 
ably have to visit the most opposite quarters. We saw 
thousands of china vases, and bowls, and tea and dinner 
services, some very handsome, but many extremely poor. 
There were a few specially made for the French Exhibi- 
tion next year, which were exceedingly handsome. We 
visited an ivory shop, and saw some splendid specimens 
of carving. One man had been for fifteen months em- 
ployed in carving on one side of an enormous elephant's 
tusk the representation of a battle scene, and on the other 
that of a thanksgiving procession. It will take him at 
least another year to finish the job. It is for the Paris 
Exhibition. It will be quite interesting to look for our 
old Japanese and Chinese friends and their products on 
that occasion. 

From ivory carving, we went to a black-wood furniture 
shop, where we saw some very handsome things, by no 
means dear considering the amount of time and labor 
bestowed upon them. We finished up with the Temple 
of the Five Hundred Genii, whose five hundred carved 
wooden statues, thickly gilt, all very ugly, and all in dif- 
ferent attitudes, stand round the statue of a European in 
sailor's costume, said to be meant for Marco Polo, but, 
whoever it may be, evidently considered an object at: 
least of veneration, if not of worship. 

We now returned through the dirty city to Shameen, 
and the relief, after crossing the bridge into an open space 
where one could breathe freely and see the blue sky, was 
indescribable. 

Friday, March 2d. — Before we had finished breakfast 
the other gentlemen strolled in from their various quar- 
ters, and the drivers and guides arrived from the Vice- 
Consul's. A long morning's work had been mapped out 
for us — thirteen sights before luncheon, then a visit to 
the French Consulate, followed by eight more objects of 
interest to be seen before we finally crossed the Pearl 
River to visit the Honan Temple. Quitting the pretty, 



356 LACQUER WORK. 

cool suburb by another bridge, we passed through streets 
quite as dirty as those of yesterday, until the heart of the 
city had been reached. We went first to the wedding- 
chair shop, where they keep sedan-chairs, of four quali- 
ties, for hire whenever a wedding occurs. Even the com- 
monest are made gorgeous by silver gilding and lacquer, 
while the best are really marvels of decorative art, com- 
pletely covered with the blue lustrous feathers of a kind 
of kingfisher. In shape they are like a square pagoda, 
and round each tier are groups of figures. The dresses 
are also made of expensive feathers, but then they last 
for generations. There are no windows to these strange 
conveyances, in which the bride is carried to her future 
home, closely shut up, with joss-sticks burning in front of 
her. Recently there have been two sad accidents. In 
one case the journey was long, there was no outlet for 
the smoke of the joss-sticks, and when they arrived and 
opened the chair, the bride was found dead from suffoca- 
tion. The other accident occurred through the chair 
catching fire while it was passing through some narrow 
street under an archway. The bearers became frightened, 
put down their burden, and ran away, leaving the poor 
bride locked up inside to be burned to death. 

From the chair shop we went to the embroiderers, to 
see them at work. Their productions are exquisite, and 
it is a pity that better specimens are not seen in England. 
The process of lacquer-making, too, is very interesting. 
We had, however, to go from house to house to witness 
it, as only one portion of the process is carried on at each 
— from the gradual coating of the roughest wood with 
three coatings of varnish, until it is finally ornamented 
with delicate designs, and polished ready for sale. In 
appearance, price, and length of wear there is a vast 
difference. 

The next thing to see was the weaving of silk, which 
is done in the most primitive manner. One man throws 
the shuttle, while another forms the pattern by jumping 



JADE STONE MARKET. 357 

on the top of the loom and raising a certain number of 
threads, in order to allow the shuttle to pass beneath 
them. 

Then came a visit to the Temple of Longevity, a large 
Buddhist temple, with a monastic establishment of about 
ninety priests attached to it. It contains three shrines 
with large figures, but nothing specially interesting. 
There is a large pond in the midst of the garden, covered 
with duckweed, and full of beautiful gold and silver fish 
of many kinds. The Chinese certainly excel in producing 
gold and silver and red fish ; they are the pets of every 
household, and are of all colors, some being striped and 
spotted, and boasting any number of tails from one to 
five. 

Outside the temple stands the Jadestone Market, where 
incredible quantities of this valuable stone change hands 
before ten o'clock every morning, both in its rough and 
its polished state. The stalls are the simplest wooden 
stands, and the appearance of the venders is poor in the 
extreme. The contents of the stalls, however, are worth 
from £500 to £1,000 (not dollars), and there are hundreds 
of these stalls, besides an entire jadestone street which 
we afterwards visited. We saw several of the shops, and 
asked the prices, as we wished to take home a small speci- 
men ; but they had no good carved cups, which were what 
we wanted, and for what they had they asked an enormous 
price. Jadestone is a material very difficult to work, and 
in many cases the result attained is not worth the labor 
expended upon it. It is more a tour de force than a work 
of art. For a good stone, green as grass (as it ought to 
be), they ask from 2,500 to 3,000 dollars ; for a necklace of 
beads, 5,000 dollars ; a set of mandarin's buttons, one large 
and one small, 50 to 150 dollars. 

After looking in at the goldbeaters at work, we next 
made our way to the Temple of the Five Genii who are 
supposed to have founded the city of Canton. Being a 
Tartar temple, all the gods have a totally different cast of 



35* 



TEMPLE OF HORRORS. 



features, and are represented as Tartars with long beards. 
It is much frequented by women of all classes, and up and 
down the numerous flights of steps leading from one shrine 
to another, poor little women tottered and tumbled on 
their crippled feet, holding on to one another or leaning 
on a stick. This temple is interesting as having been the 
headquarters of the allied forces during their occupation 
of Canton from 1858 to 1861. The great bell in front of 
its principal shrine has been broken by a shot. 

We then went to see the Flowery Pagoda, built A.D. 
512, but now deprived of many of its decorations. The 
Brilliant Pagoda too, so called from having once been 
covered with snow-white porcelain, is now only a tall 
brick-pointed tower nine stories high. 

By this time we all felt hungry, and began to wend our 
way towards the yamun. On the outskirts may be seen 
prisoners in chains, or wearing the canguc, imprisoned in 
a cage, or else suffering one of the numerous tortures in- 
flicted in this country. I did not go to see any of these 
horrors, neither did I visit the execution ground ; but 
some of the party did, and described it as a most horrible 
sight. Skulls were lying about in all directions, one of 
which had been quite recently severed from its trunk, the 
ground being still moist and red. 

Whilst luncheon was being prepared we were taken 
over many of the rooms and through several of the in- 
closures within the fortified gate. The meal was excel- 
lently served by Chinese servants in a charmingly pictur- 
esque Tartar room, and after it we wandered about the 
park, looked at the deer, and admired the Nagasaki ban- 
tams. Then it was time to start on a fresh sight-seeing 
expedition, armed with fresh directions. We set out first 
to the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha, where there is a 
large, fat, reclining figure ; then to the Temple of Horrors 
— most rightly named, for in a suite of rooms built round 
three sides of a large yard are represented all the tortures 
of the Buddhist faith, such as boiling in oil, sawing in 



YAMUNS. 



359 



pieces, and other horrible devices. The yard itself is 
crowded with fortune-tellers, charm-sellers, deputy prayer- 
sayers, beggars, and all sorts of natural horrors, exhibiting 
various deformities. Altogether it is a most unpleasant 
place, but still it is one of the characteristic sights of 
Canton. 

We saw the hotel to-day for the first time. It certainly 
looks very hopeless. We were anxious to get in there if 
possible, as we were such a large party, but everybody 
assured us it was quite out of the question. One gentle- 
man told me he never could fancy using his portmanteau 
again after even laying it down on the floor for a few min- 
utes. The absence of a decent hotel renders Canton an 
inconvenient place to visit. The European inhabitants 
are so very kind, however, that you are sure to find some- 
body who knows somebody else who will hospitably take 
you in. 

From the Temple of the Sleeping Buddha we went up 
the height to breathe a little fresh air, and to see the five- 
storied pagoda at the spot where the allied forces had 
encamped, the Chinese groves in the White Cloud Moun- 
tains beyond, and to gain a general view of the densely 
crowded city beneath. It is all too fiat, however, to be 
picturesque. The three yainnns at our feet, with their 
quaint towers, grand old trees, flags, and the broad Pearl 
River on. the other side of the city, are the only elements 
of positive beauty in the landscape. 

We soon descended the heights again, and, passing the 
Cantonese Viceroy's yamims, paid our promised visit to 
the French Consul. His residence is, if possible, more 
quaint and beautiful than that of the English representa- 
tive. The trees are finer, especially one grand avenue 
leading from the outer gates to the private apartments. 
We were most kindly received, and shown a wonderful 
collection of embroideries and china. It was a delightful 
visit, but we could not remain so long as we wished, for 
we had to see the water clock. The tower in which it 



360 FEATHER STREET. 

stands is approached by a flight of steps, and was built 
between the years A.D. 624 and 907 ; and it has been re- 
paired, destroyed, and repaired again, several times, hav- 
ing suffered in the bombardment of the town by the allied 
fleets in 1857. 

In the next street, Treasury Street (said to be the 
finest in Canton), you can buy burning-sticks measured to 
mark the time. They are extremely cheap, but perfectly 
accurate, and there seems little doubt that they have been 
used by the Chinese for thousands of years before the 
Christian era. Here, too, were the large spectacles so much 
worn ; opium pipes, with all the paraphernalia for cleaning 
and smoking them ; water pipes in pretty little shagreen 
cases, and many other curious articles in common use, of 
which we purchased specimens. 

In the Feather Street are innumerable shops contain- 
ing nothing but feathers of all kinds for mandarins, actors, 
and ordinary mortals ; but the great ambition of every 
Chinaman is to have a feather from the Emperor. They 
are all called peacocks' feathers, one-eyed, two-eyed, or 
three-eyed ; but, in reality, many are pheasants' feathers. 
Some of these are from six to eight feet in length, beauti- 
fully marked. I bought two pairs over seven feet long. 
They are rather rare, as each bird has only two long 
feathers, and these are in perfection for but one month 
in the year. In this part of the town stands a Chinese 
restaurant where only cats' and dogs' flesh is served. 

We passed through innumerable streets, and at last 
reached the site of the old factories, now only occupied 
by a large and comfortable house. We were to have 
embarked in the Consul's boat to visit the Temple of 
Honan across the river, but it was getting late, and every 
one felt tired ; so we went back through more crowded 
streets to rest awhile, before dressing to go out to dinner 
at eight o'clock. The dinner was quite English in its 
style, and the table looked bright with tea roses, helio- 
trope, and mignonette. The tables had been charmingly 



BIRD'S-NEST SOUP. 361 

decorated by the Chinese servants, and even the menu had 
been arranged by them. They seem to save their em- 
ployer all trouble, even that of thinking, provided the 
services of really good ones can be secured. We have had 
one for only a few days, and he does everything for Tom 
and me. He appears to know exactly what we want to 
do or to wear, and to foresee all our requirements. 

But to return to this famous repast. It began with 
mandarin bird's-nest soup, with plover's eggs floating about 
in it. This is a most delicious and dainty dish, and is 
invariably given to strangers on their first arrival. I had 
no idea how expensive the nests were — 54 dollars a ' pice,' 
weighing something under a pound, and it takes two or 
three ounces to make enough soup for ten people. We 
had a very pleasant evening, talking over our experiences, 
and exchanging news as to our mutual friends. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

CANTON AND MACAO TO SINGAPORE. 

/ remember the black wharves and the slips, 

And the sea-tides tossing free j 
And Spanish sailors -with bearded lips, 
And the beauty and mystery of the ships, 

And the magic of the sea. 

Saturday, March ^d. — After our long day yesterday, I 
did not feel capable of acceding to our guide's proposition 
of being ready at half-past six for further explorations 
before breakfast ; besides, I wanted to see Tom off by the 
nine-o'clock boat to Hongkong, whither he is obliged to 
return in order to keep various engagements. The rest of 
our party have been persuaded to stay and see a little more 
of Canton, and to go with some friends to a picnic in the 
White Cloud Mountains. A man brought home to-day 
some carved tortoise-shell brushes Tom has given me, with 
my name carved on them in Chinese. It was no good 
writing it down for the engraver's guidance, and after 
hearing it several times he wrote down two characters ; 
but, as the ' r ' is always a great difficulty with the Chinese, 
I much doubt whether the name is really spelled rightly. 

It was a most lovely day, and after some little delay 
we started about eleven o'clock, a party of seventeen, in 
chairs. There were five ladies and twelve gentlemen — a 
most unusual proportion for Canton. A few weeks ago 
they wanted to get up a fancy ball, but there were only 
five available ladies to be found in the city. At present 
one or two more are staying here on a visit, and it is 
hoped that another ball may be arranged during this week, 

362 



PET BIRDS. 363 

which may boast of at least ten ladies. We made quite a 
procession, with all the servants, bearers, &c, and excited 
much commotion in the narrow streets, where everybody 
had to make room and squeeze up to the side as best they 
could. Men ran before to clear the way for us, shouting, 
yet we were more than an hour going right across the 
city. On our way we passed through the egg market, 
saw the pork-fat market, and the poulterers' and fowlers' 
shops. 

We managed to visit several shops for the sale of real 
Chinese furniture. It is very handsome, but curious in 
form, and, unless it is specially ordered, is made only for 
native use. Every Chinese reception-room is furnished in 
precisely the same manner, with very stiff high arm-chairs, 
arranged in two rows. A small four-legged square table 
stands between every two chairs, a larger table in the 
center, and at the end an enormous sofa, big enough for 
six or eight people to lie full length across. The sofa and 
all the chairs have marble seats and backs, and the tops 
of the tables are also made of marble, or a sort of soap- 
stone, on which may be distinguished natural landscapes 
slightly assisted by art. 

In the bird market I saw numbers of little birds for 
sale, for the Chinese are very fond of pets, and often take 
their birds out in a cage with them when they go for a 
walk, just as we should be accompanied by a dog. They 
manage to tame them thoroughly, and when they meet a 
friend they will put the cage down, let the bird out, and 
give him something to eat while they have their chat. I 
saw this done several times. 

Our road next led us through part of the butchers' 
quarter, where rats were hung up by their tails, and what 
looked very like skinned cats and dogs dangled beside 
them. Whole cages full of these animals were exposed 
for sale alive. Some travelers deny that the Chinese eat 
cats and dogs and rats, but there can be no question that 
they do so, though they may be the food only of the 



364 



DOGGY DISHES. 



lower classes. Nor do 'puppy dogs ' appear on the tables 
of the rich, except on one particular day in the year, when 
to eat them is supposed to bring good luck. We passed 
a restaurant where I was shown the bill of fare in Chinese, 
of which this is a translation : — 



BILL OF FARE FOR THE DAY. 



One 

One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 
One 



tael of black dog's flesh . . . 
tael weight of black dog's fat . 
large basin of black cat's flesh 
small basin of black cat's flesh 
large bottle of common wine 
small bottle of common wine 
large bottle of dark rice wine 
small basin of cat's flesh . 
large bottle of plum wine . 
small bottle of plum wine . 
large basin of dog's flesh . 
small bottle of pear wine . 
large bottle of timtsin wine 
small bottle of timtsin wine 
basin of congee .... 
small plate of pickles . 
small saucer of ketchup or vinegar- 
pair of black cat's eyes .... 



eight cash. 

three kandareems of silver. 

one hundred cash. 

fifty cash. 

thirty-two cash. 

sixteen cash. 

sixty-eight cash. 

thirty-four cash. 

sixty-eight cash. 

thirty-four cash. 

sixty-eight cash. 

thirty-four cash. 

ninety-six cash. 

forty-eight cash. 

three cash. 

three cash. 

three cash. 

three kandareems of silver. 



The fish here, as at Hongkong, are almost always kept 
alive in large tubs of water, with a fountain playing over 
them. They even keep some sea-fish alive in salt water. 
But it is in the north of China that they excel in rearing 
fish in large quantities. At Foo-chow cormorant fishing 
may be seen to great perfection, and it is said to be a 
very amusing sight. 

At last the city gates were reached, and we once more 
found ourselves outside the walls, and able to breathe 
again. Here a halt was made, and several of the party 
got out of their chairs and walked, and we were able to 
chat, whilst we wended our way by a narrow path through 
nursery gardens and graveyards. In fact the whole of 
the White Cloud Mountain is one vast cemetery — it is the 






HOLY OF HOLIES. 365 

Chinese Holy of Holies, whither their bodies are sent, 
not only from all parts of China, but from all parts of the 
world. Frequently a shipload of 1,500 or 1,600 bodies ar- 
rives in one day. The Steamboat Company charges 40 
dollars for the passage of a really live Chinaman, as 
against 160 dollars for the carriage of a dead Celestial. 
The friends of the deceased often keep the bodies in 
coffins above ground for several years, until the priests 
announce that they have discovered a lucky day and a 
lucky spot for the interment. This does not generally 
happen until he — the priest — finds he can extract no more 
money by divination, and that no more funeral feasts will 
be given by the friends. We passed through what they 
call the city of the dead, where thousands of coffins wait- 
ing for interment were lying above ground. The coffins 
are large and massive, but very plain, resembling the 
hollowed-out trunk of a tree. The greatest compliment 
a Chinese can pay his older relatives is to make them 
a present of four handsome longevity boards for their 
coffins. Outside the city of the dead were the usual ad- 
juncts of a large burying-place — coffin-makers and stone- 
carvers, all living in dirty little cottages, surrounded by 
pigs, ducks, and young children. 

Leaving the cemetery and cottages behind, a too 
short drive brought us to a lovely valley, where we were 
to lunch at the temple of San Chew, in one of its fairest 
gorges. The meal was spread in a large hall in a most 
luxurious manner, and as the wind changed almost im- 
mediately, and it came on to rain, we felt ourselves 
fortunate indeed in having reached shelter. We had 
plenty of wraps, and the bearers ran us down the hill 
again very quickly, so that we suffered no discomfort. 

By the time the city walls were reached the rain had 
ceased, and a glorious red sunset glowed over the roofs, 
glinting through the holes in the mats, and lighting up 
all the vermilion boards and gold characters with which 
the houses and shops are decorated. The shadowy 



366 RARE COINS. 

streets were now full of incense or rather joss-stick smoke, 
for every house and every shop has a large altar inside, 
and a small one without, before which joss-sticks are 
burned more or less all day long. 

The streets seemed more crowded even than usual. 
Each of our bearers struck out a line of his own, and it 
was not until we reached Shameen that we all met again. 
Some of the ladies had been rather frightened at finding 
themselves alone in the dark, crowded city. We were 
only just in time to dress and go to dinner, after which 
we examined an interesting collection, chiefly of coins, in 
process of formation for the French Exhibition. They 
are carefully arranged, and will be most valuable and in- 
teresting when complete. The knife-and-fork coins are 
particularly curious and rare, some of them being worth 
as much as 5,000 dollars each, as curiosities. All the 
coins have holes in the center for convenience of carriage. 
Sunday, March \th. — There is a fine cathedral at Sha- 
meen, in which the services are beautifully performed. 
A lady kindly lent us her house-boat, and after service we 
rowed across to Fa-ti, to see the gardens of Canton. 
They are laid out on an island a very short way up the 
river. The gardens are very wonderful, and contain 
plants cut into all sorts of shapes, such as men, birds, 
beasts, fishes, boats, houses, furniture, &c. Some are full- 
sized, others only in miniature. But almost all must 
have required considerable time and patience to reach 
their present growth, for their ages vary from 10 to 150 
years. There are other plants not so elaborately trained, 
but the effect of the whole is rather too formal to be 
pretty. I managed to bring home some euphorbias, cut 
.into the form of junks, and some banyan-trees : one 100 
-and one 50 years old. I believe they are the first that 
have ever reached England alive and have flourished. 
Not far from Fa-ti are the duck-hatching establishments, 
and still farther up the river are the duck sampans, where 
the crowds of ducks are reared. They are sent out every 



SILKWORM ESTABLISHMENT. 367 

morning to get their own living and return at night. 
Until they learn to obey their keeper's call quickly the 
last duck is always whipped. I am told it Is most ridicu- 
lous to see the hurry of the last half-dozen birds of a flock 
of some thousands of ducks. I was most anxious to see 
them, but it is not the right time of year now. The 
young ducks are only just beginning to hatch, and the 
old ones are numerous, and are mostly laying. 

There was no time to go and see the temple of Honan, 
for we were more anxious to avail ourselves of a chance 
of visiting some interesting places in the Chinese city. 
We went through a street, consisting entirely of fruiter- 
ers' shops, to which the name of Kwohlaorn, or fruit-mar- 
ket, is applied. In this market, which is of great extent, 
there is for sale at all seasons of the year an almost count- 
less variety of fruit. 

A silkworm establishment was pointed out to us in the 
distance, but we did not go over it, as we had seen many 
before, and it is not the best season of the year. The 
silkworms are most carefully tended, the people who look 
after them being obliged to change their clothes before 
entering the rooms where they are kept, and to perform 
all sorts of superstitious ceremonies at every stage of the 
insect's growth. No one at all ailing or deformed is al- 
lowed to approach a building where they are kept. The 
worms are supposed to be very nervous, and are guarded 
from everything that can possibly frighten them, as well 
as from all changes of temperature or disturbances of the 
atmosphere. Thunder and lightning they are supposed 
specially to dread, and great pains are taken to shelter 
them by artificial means, and keep them from all knowl- 
edge of the storm. 

The next place we visited was a bird's-nest-soup-shop 
street, where we went into one of the best and most 
extensive establishments. There were three or four well- 
dressed assistants behind the counter, all busily occupied 
in sorting and packing birds' nests. Some of the best 



368 CRAMPED FEET. 

were as white as snow, and were worth two dollars each, 
while a light brown one was worth only one dollar, and 
the black dirty ones, full of feathers and moss, could be 
purchased at the rate of a quarter-dollar. 

Certainly the Chinese seem an exception to the rule 
laid down by some writers, that no people can flourish 
who do not rest every seventh day. In many ways they 
are an abnormal people, one striking point in their con- 
dition being the state of dirt and filth in which they not 
only exist, but increase and multiply. The children look 
healthy and happy too, in spite of these apparent draw- 
backs, and notwithstanding the fact that in many cases 
their poor little feet must be cruelly tortured by the 
practice of bandaging them tightly to make them small. 

When we got back to Shameen there was time for a 
stroll along the Bund. It is very pleasant, for the river 
runs close under the parapet, and its surface is always 
covered with junks, sampans, and boats and ships, going 
swiftly up or down with the strong tide. The walk is 
shaded with trees, and seats stand at intervals all along it. 

An agreeable saunter was followed by a quiet, pleasant 
little dinner, and though we have been here only a few 
days we feel quite sorry that this is to be our last night 
in Canton, so kind has everybody been to us. 

Mojiday, March ^tli. — I was awake and writing from 
half-past four this morning, but before I got up, a woman 
who comes here every day to work brought me some 
small ordinary shoes which I had purchased as curiosities, 
and took the opportunity of showing me her feet. It 
really made me shudder to look at them, so deformed 
and cramped up were they, and, as far as I could make 
out, she must have suffered greatly in the process of re- 
ducing them to their present diminutive size. She took 
off her own shoes and tottered about the room in those 
she had brought, and then asked me to show her one of 
mine. Having most minutely examined it, she observed, 
with a melancholy shake of the head, ' Missisy foot much 



A CROWDED RIVER. 369 

more good, do much walky, walky ; mine much bad, no 
good for walky.' 

Having said farewell to our kind hostess, we- went off 
in the house-boat to the steamer. There was a great 
crowd on the lower deck — at least 900 Chinamen — to 
struggle through in order to reach the European quar- 
ters. We found other friends on board, who had come 
to see us off. 

A few minutes before nine o'clock the bell rang as a 
signal for our friends' departure, and we steamed ahead, 
among such a crowd of sampans and junks that it was 
more like moving through a town than along a river. No 
accident, however, occurred, though one junk and one 
sampan had the very narrowest escape. 

The voyage down took much longer, than our voyage 
up, on account of the tide being against us, and in con- 
sequence we did not reach Hongkong until 3.30 p.m., 
when the gig with the children was soon alongside. We 
got off as soon as we could, for we expected some friends 
to afternoon tea on board the yacht. There was just 
time to dress before the first visitors arrived, and by half- 
past six at least two hundred had come. At one time 
quite a flotilla of boats lay around us, looking very pretty 
with all their flags flying. I think the people enjoyed it 
very much as something new, and we only wanted a band 
to enliven the proceedings. 

Tuesday, March 6th. — The little girls and I went ashore 
at 7.30, to collect all our purchases with the help of a 
friend. We glanced at the museum too, which contains 
some curious specimens of Chinese and Japanese arms 
and armor, and the various productions of the two coun- 
tries, besides many strange things from the Philippine 
and other islands. I was specially interested in the corals 
and shells. There were splendid conch shells from Ma- 
nilla, and a magnificent group of Venus flower-baskets, 
dredged from some enormous depth near Manilla. There 
were also good specimens of reptiles of all sorts, and of 
24 . 



370 MACAO. 

the carved birds' heads for which Canton is famous. 
They look very like amber, and are quite as transparent, 
being carved to a great depth. I believe the bird is a 
kind of toucan or hornbill, but the people here call it a 
crane. 

It was now time to say good-by to Hongkong and to 
our kind friends, for we had to go on board the 'Flying 
Cloud,' which starts for Macao at two o'clock precisely, 
and our passages had been taken in her. Tom could not 
go with us, as he had fixed to-night for the dinner at 
which the Chinese gentlemen proposed to entertain him ; 
but he came to see us off. We went out of the harbor 
by a different way, and passed along a different side of 
the island of Hongkong, but the scenery was not par- 
ticularly interesting. Off Choolong a heavy ground-swell, 
called ' Pon choughai,' made us roll about most unpleas- 
antly. In bad weather, or with a top-heavy ship, this 
passage could not be attempted. Sometimes there are 
very heavy fogs, and always strong currents, so that the 
short voyage of forty-two miles is not absolutely free from 
dangef. 

The town of Macao is situated on a peninsula at the 
end of the island of the same name. It was the first 
foreign settlement in China belonging to the Portuguese, 
and was once a fine, handsome town, with splendid build- 
ings. Unfortunately Macao lies in the track of the ty- 
phoons, which at times sweep over it with a resistless 
force, shattering and smashing everything in their career. 
These constantly recurring storms, and the establishment 
of other ports, have resulted in driving many people away 
from the place, and the abolition of the coolie traffic 
has also tended to diminish the number of traders. Now 
the town has a desolate, deserted appearance, and the 
principal revenue of the government is derived from the 
numerous gambling-houses. 

We landed at the pier soon after five o'clock, and were 
carried across the peninsula through the town to the 



CHINESE TOMMY. 



371 



Praya on the other side. Here we found a large unoccu- 
pied mansion, situated in a garden overlooking the sea, 
and, having delivered our Chinese letters, were received 
with the greatest civility and attention by the comprador 
and the servants who had been left in charge of our friend's 
house. The rooms upstairs, to which we were at once 
shown, were lofty and spacious, opening into a big ve- 
randa. Each room had a mosquito room inside it, made 
of wire gauze and wood, like a gigantic meat-safe, and ca- 
pable of containing, besides a large double bed, a chair 
and a table, so that its occupant is in a position to read 
and write in peace, even after dark. This was the first 
time we had seen one of these contrivances. By the di- 
rection of the comprador the house chairs were prepared, 
and coolies were provided to take us for an expedition 
round the town, while our things were being unpacked, 
and the necessary arrangements made for our comfort. 
Macao is a thoroughly Portuguese-looking town, the houses 
being painted blue, green, red, yellow, and all sorts of 
colors. It is well garrisoned, and one meets soldiers in 
every direction. We passed the fort, and went up to the 
lighthouse, which commands a fine view over land and 
sea ; returning home by a different way through the town 
again, which we entered just as the cathedral bell and the 
bells of all the churches were pealing the Ave Maria. On 
our return we found a fire lighted and everything illumi- 
nated, and by half-past eight we had a capital impromptu 
dinner served. Chinese Tommy, who waited on us, had 
decorated the table most tastefully with flowers. Macao 
is a favorite resort for the European residents of Hong- 
kong who are addicted to gambling. The gentlemen of 
our party went to observe the proceedings, but to-night 
there were only a few natives playing at fan-tan — a game 
which, though a great favorite with the natives, appears 
very stupid to a European. The croupier takes a handful 
of copper cash and throws it upon the table ; he then with 
chop-sticks counts the coins by fours, the betting being 



372 



FAN-TAX. 



upon the possible number of the remainder. It takes a 
long time to count a big handful, and you have only one, 
two, three, or four to back — no colors or combinations, as 
at rouge-et-?toir, or trente-et-quarante. 

At Macao the sleep-disturbing watchman, unlike those 
of Canton, come round every hour and beat two sharp 
taps on a drum at intervals of half a minute, compelling 
you to listen against your will, until the sound dies away 
in the distance for a brief interval. 

Wednesday, March Jth. — We started soon after ten 
o'clock on another exploring expedition, going first in 
chairs through the town, and across the peninsula to 
where we left the steamer yesterday. Here we embarked 
— chairs, bearers, and all, in a junk, evidently cleaned up 
for the occasion, for it was in beautiful order, and mats 
were spread under an awning upon deck. 

All along beneath the deck was a cabin, between two 
and three feet high, which contained the altar, the kitch- 
en, and the sleeping and living apartments of the family. 
There was also a dear little baby, two months old, which 
seemed to take life very quietly, while its mother assisted 
its grandfather to row. 

We soon reached the island of Chock-Sing-Toon, and 
disembarked at a small pier near a village, which looked 
more like sampans pulled up on the shore than huts or 
cottages. The children and I rode in chairs, while the 
gentlemen walked, first over a plain covered with scrubby 
palms, then through miles of well-cultivated plots of 
vegetable ground, till we reached a temple, built at the 
entrance to the valley for which we were bound. Thence 
the path wound beside the stream flowing from the 
mountains above, and the vegetation became extremely 
luxuriant and beautiful. Presently we came to a spot 
where a stone bridge spanned the torrent, with a temple 
on one side and a joss-house on the other. It was ap- 
parently a particularly holy place, for our men had all 
brought quantities of joss-sticks and sacred paper with 



CHOCK-SING- TOON. 



373 



them to burn. There was a sort of eating-house close 
by, where they remained whilst we climbed higher up to 
get a view. The path was well made, and evidently 
much used, judging from the large number of natural 
temples we found adapted and decorated among the 
rocks. As usual, our descent was a comparatively quick 
affair, and we soon found ourselves on board the junk 
on our way back to Macao, beating across the harbor. 

Just before tiffin the yacht made her appearance, caus- 
ing great excitement in the minds of the natives. The 
gig was soon lowered and came as close as she could. 
There was not water enough for her to come within four 
miles of the shore, but we went out to meet her occupants. 
Tom, who was one of them, looked so ill and miserable 
that I felt quite alarmed for a few minutes, till the Doctor 
comforted me by assurances that it was only the effect of 
the Chinese dinner last night — an explanation I had no 
difficulty in accepting as the correct one after perusing 
the bill of fare. In their desire to do him honor, and to 
give him pleasure, his hosts had provided the rarest deli- 
cacies, and of course he .felt obliged to taste them all. 
Some of the dishes were excellent, but many of them 
were rather trying to a European digestion, especially the 
fungus and lichen. One sort had been grown on ice in 
the Antarctic Sea, the whale's sinews came from the Arctic 
Ocean, the shark's fins from the South Sea Islands, and 
the birds' nests were of a quality to be found only in one 
particular cave in one particular island. To drink, they 
had champagne in English glasses, and arrack in Chinese 
glasses. The whole dinner was eaten with chop-sticks, 
though spoons were allowed for the soup. After dinner 
there were some good speeches, the chief host expressing 
his deep regret that their manners and customs did not 
permit them to ask ladies, as they were particularly 
anxious to invite me, and had only abandoned the idea of 
doing so after considerable discussion. I append the bill 
of fare : — 



374 A CHINESE BANQUET. 

March 6, 1877. 

BILL OF FARE. 

4 courses of small bowls, one to each guest, viz. — 

Bird's-nest Soup 

Pigeon's Eggs 

Ice Fungus (said to grow in ice) 

Shark's Fins (chopped) 

8 large bowls, viz. — 

Stewed Shark's Fins 

Fine Shell Fish 

Mandarin Bird's Nest 

Canton Fish Maw 

Fish Brain 

Meat Balls with Rock Fungus 

Pigeons stewed with Wai Shan (a strengthening herb) 

Stewed Mushroom 



4. dishes, viz. — 

1 large dish, viz. — 
8 small bowls, viz- 



Sliced Ham 

Roast Mutton 

Fowls 

Roast Sucking Pig 

Boiled Rock Fish 



Stewed Pig's Palate 

Minced Quails 

Stewed Fungus (another description) 

Sinews of the Whale Fish 

Rolled Roast Fowl 

Sliced Teals 

Stewed Duck's Paws 

Peas stewed 

We went all round the town, and then to see the ruins 
of the cathedral, and the traces of the destruction caused 
by the typhoon in 1874. Next we paid a visit to the 
garden of Camoens, where he wrote his poems in exile.* 

* Luis de Camoens, a celebrated Portuguese poet, born about 
1520; fought against the Moors, and in India; but was often in 



LUIS DE CAMOENS. 



375 



The garden now belongs to a most courteous old Portu- 
guese, with whom I managed, by the aid of a mixture of 
Spanish and French, to hold a conversation. The place 
where Camoens's monument is erected commands, how- 
ever, an extensive prospect, but we had already seen it, 
and as Tom was anxious to get clear of the islands before 
dark we were obliged to hasten away. 

On reaching the yacht, after some delay in embarking, 
we slipped our anchor as quickly as possible, and soon 
found ourselves in a nasty rolling sea, which sent me to 
bed at once. Poor Tom, though he felt so ill that he 
could hardly hold his head up, was, however, obliged to 
remain on deck watching until nearly daylight ; for rocks 
and islands abound in these seas, and no one on board 
could undertake the pilotage except himself. 

TJiursday, March 8th. — When I went on deck at 
half-past six o'clock there was nothing to be seen but 
a leaden sky, a cold gray rolling sea, and two fishing 
junks in the far distance, nor did the weather improve all 
day. 

Friday, March gth. — Everybody began to settle down 
to the usual sea occupations. There was a general hair- 
cutting all round, one of the sailors being a capital barber, 
and there is never time to attend to this matter when 
ashore. The wind was high and baffling all day. At 
night the Great Bear and the Southern Cross shone out 
with rivaling brilliancy : ' On either hand an old friend 
and a new.' 

Saturday, March 10th. — A fine day, with a light fair 
breeze. Passed the island of Hainan, belonging to China, 
situated at the entrance of the Gulf of Tonquin, which, 
though very barren-looking, supports a population of 
1 50,000. 



trouble, and was frequently banished or imprisoned. During his 
exile in Macao he wrote his great poem ' The Lusiad,' in which he 
celebrates the principal events in Portuguese history. 



376 



A RELIC OF THE SEA. 



Repacked the curiosities and purchases from Canton 
and Hongkong, and made up our accounts. 

About noon we passed a tall bamboo sticking straight 
up out of the water, and wondered if it were the topmast 
of some unfortunate junk sunk on the Paranella Shoal. 
There were many flying-fish about, and the sunset was 
lovely. 

Sunday, March nth. — We feel that we are going 
south rapidly, for the heat increases day by day. The 
services were held on deck at eleven and four. 

About five o'clock I heard cries of ' A turtle on the star- 
board bow,' ' A wreck on the starboard bow.' I rushed out 
to see what it was, and the men climbed into the rigging 
to obtain a better view of the object. It proved to be a 
large piece of wood, partially submerged, apparently about 
twenty or thirty feet long. The exposed part was covered 
with barnacles and seaweed, and there was a large iron 
ring attached to one end. We were sailing too fast to 
stop, or I should have liked to have sent a boat to examine 
this ' relic of the sea ' more closely. These waifs and strays 
always set me thinking and wondering, and speculating as 
to what they were originally, whence they came, and all 
about them, till Tom declares I weave a complete legend 
for every bit of wood we meet floating about. 

Tuesday, March 13th. — About 2.30 a.m. the main peak 
halyards were carried away. Soon after we gybed, and 
for two or three hours knocked about in the most unpleas- 
ant manner. At daybreak we made the island of Pulu 
Lapata, or Shoe Island, situated on the coast of Co- 
chin China, looking snowy white in the early morning 
light. 

The day was certainly warm, though we were gliding 
on steadily and pleasantly before the north-east monsoon. 

Weditesday, March 14th. — The monsoon sends us along 
at the rate of from six to seven knots an hour, without 
the slightest trouble or inconvenience. There is an un- 
expected current, though, which sets us about twenty- 



NEARING SINGAPORE. 



377 



five miles daily to the westward, notwithstanding the fact 
that a ' southerly current ' is marked on the chart. 

March \6th. — There was a general scribble going on 
all over the ship, in preparation for the post to-morrow, 
as we hope to make Singapore to-night, or very early in 
the morning. About noon Pulo-Aor was seen on our 
starboard bow. In the afternoon, being so near the 
Straits, the funnel was raised and steam got up. At mid- 
night we made the Homburgh Light, and shortly after- 
wards passed a large steamer steering north. It was a 
glorious night, though very hot below, and I spent most 
of it on deck with Tom, observing the land as we slowly 
steamed ahead half speed. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

SINGAPORE. . 

Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks 

Grazing the tender herb, were interposed, 

Or palmy hillock, or the flow 'ry lap 

Of some irrigttous valley spread her store, 

Flow'rs of all hues, and without thorn the rose. 

Saturday, March ijth. — We were of! Singapore during 
the night. At 5 a.m. the pilot came on board and took 
us into Tangong Pagar to coal alongside the wharf. We 
left the ship as soon as possible, and in about an hour 
we had taken forty -three tons of coal on board and 
nearly twenty tons of water. The work was rapidly per- 
formed by coolies. It was a great disappointment to 
be told %>y the harbor-master that the Governor of the 
Straits Settlement and Lady Jervoise were to leave at 
eleven o'clock for Johore. We determined to go straight 
to the Government House and make a morning call at 
the unearthly hour of 8 a.m. The drive from the wharf 
was full of beauty, novelty, and interest. We had not 
landed so near the line before, and the most tropical of 
tropical plants, trees, flowers, and ferns, were here to be 
seen, growing by the roadside on every bank and dust- 
heap. 

The natives, Malays, are a fine-looking, copper-col- 
ored race, wearing bright-colored sarongs and turbans. 
There are many Indians, too, from Madras, almost black, 
and swathed in the most graceful white muslin garments, 
when they are not too hard at work to wear anything 
at all. The young women are very good-looking. They 

378 



DELIGHTFUL PUNKAHS. 



379 



wear not only one but several rings, and metal ornaments 
in their noses, and a profusion of metal bangles on their 
arms and legs, which jingle and jangle as they move. 

The town of Singapore itself is not imposing, its 
streets, or rather roads of wooden huts and stone houses, 
being mixed together indiscriminately. Government 
House is on the outskirts of the city, in the midst of a 
beautiful park, which is kept in excellent order, the green 
turf being closely mown and dotted with tropical trees 
and bushes. The House itself is large and handsome, 
and contains splendid suites of lofty rooms, shaded by 
wide verandas, full of ferns and palms, looking deli- 
ciously green and cool. We found the Governor and his 
family did not start until 11.30, and they kindly begged 
us to return to breakfast at half-past nine, which we did. 
Before finally leaving, Sir William Jervoise sent for the 
Colonial Secretary, and asked him to look after us in his 
absence. He turned out to be an old schoolfellow and 
college friend of Tom's at Rugby and Oxford; so the 
meeting was a very pleasant one. As soon as the Gov- 
ernor and his suite had set off for Johore we went down 
into the hot dusty town to get our letters, parcels, and 
papers, and to look at the shops. There are not many 
Malay specialties to be bought here ; most of the curi- 
osities come from India, China, and Japan, with the ex- 
ception of birds of Paradise from New Guinea, and beau- 
tiful bright birds of all colors and sizes from the various 
islands in the Malay Archipelago. 

The north-east monsoon blows fresh and strong, but 
it was nevertheless terribly hot in the streets, and we were 
very glad to return to the cool, shady rooms at Gov- 
ernment House, where we thoroughly appreciated the de- 
lights of the punkah. 

There are very few European servants here, and they 
all have their own peons to wait on them, and carry an 
umbrella over them when they drive the carriage or go 
for a walk on their own account. Even the private 



380 THE FRUIT OF THE EAST. 

soldier in Singapore has a punkah pulled over his bed 
at night. It is quite a sight to meet all the coolies 
leaving barracks at 5 a.m., when they have done punkah- 
pulling. 

At four o'clock Mr. Douglas called to take us for a 
drive. We went first to the Botanical Gardens, and saw 
sago-palms and all sorts of tropical produce flourishing in 
perfection. " There were many beautiful birds and beasts, 
Argus pheasants, Lyre birds, cuckoos, doves, and pigeons, 
more like parrots than doves in the gorgeous metallic 
luster of their plumage. The cages were large, and the 
inclosures in front full of Cape jasmine bushes (covered 
with buds) for the birds to peck at and eat. 

From the gardens we went for a drive through the 
pretty villas that surround Singapore in every direc- 
tion. Every house outside the town is built on a sep- 
arate little hill in order to catch every breath of fresh 
air. There is generally rather a long drive up to the 
houses, and the public roads run along the valleys be- 
tween them. 

It was now dark, and we returned to dine at Govern- 
ment House. 

Sunday, March iSth. — At six o'clock this morning 
Mabelle and I went ashore with the steward and the 
comprador to the market. It is a nice, clean, octagonal 
building, well supplied with vegetables and curious fruits. 
The latter are mostly brought from the other islands, as 
this is the worst season of the year in Singapore for fruit. 
I do not quite understand why this should be, for, as it 
is only a degree above the line, there is very little varia- 
tion in the seasons here. The sun always rises and sets 
at six o'clock all the year round ; for months they have 
a north-east monsoon, and then for months together a 
south-west monsoon. 

We tasted many fruits new to us — delicious mango- 
steens, lacas, and other fruits whose names I could not 
ascertain. Lastly, we tried a durian, the fruit of the 



PARROTS AXD PAROQUETS. 381 

East, as it is called by people who live here, and having 
got over the first horror of the onion-like odor, we found 
it by no means bad. 

The fish market is the cleanest, and best arranged, and 
sweetest smelling that I ever went through. It is situ- 
ated on a sort of open platform, under a thick thatched 
roof, built out over the sea, so that all the refuse is easily 
disposed of and washed away by the tide. From the 
platform on which it stands, two long jetties run some 
distance out into the sea, so that large fishing boats can 
come alongside and discharge their cargoes from the deep 
at the door of the market with scarcely any exposure to 
the rays of the tropical sun. 

The poultry market is a curious place. On account 
of the intense heat everything is brought alive to the 
market, and the quacking, cackling, gobbling, and crow- 
ing that go on are really marvelous. The whole street 
is alive with birds in baskets, cages, and coops, or tied by 
the leg and thrown down anyhow. There were curious 
pheasants and jungle-fowl from Perak, doves, pigeons, 
quails, besides cockatoos, parrots, paroquets, and lories. 
They are all very tame and very cheap ; and some of the 
scarlet lories, looking like a flame of fire, chatter in the 
most amusing way. I have a cage full of tiny parrots not 
bigger than bullfinches, of a dark green color, with dark 
red throats and blue heads, yellow marks on the back, 
and red and yellow tails. Having bought these, every- 
body seemed to think that I wanted an unlimited supply 
of birds, and soon we were surrounded by a chattering 
crowd, all with parrots in their hands and on their shoul- 
ders. It was a very amusing sight, though rather noisy, 
and the competition reduced the prices very much. 
Paroquets ranged from twelve to thirty cents apiece, 
talking parrots and cookatoos from one to five dollars. 
At last the venders became so energetic that I was glad 
to get into the gharry again, and drive away to a flower 
shop, where we bought some gardenias for one penny a 



382 BIRD-BOATS. 

dozen, beautifully fresh and fragrant, but with painfully- 
short stalks. 

Towards the end of the south-west monsoon, little 
native open boats arrive from the islands 1,500 to 3,000 
miles to the southward of Singapore. Each has one little 
tripod mast. The whole family live on board. The sides 
of the boat cannot be seen for the multitude of cockatoos, 
parrots, paroquets, and birds of all sorts, fastened on 
little perches, with very short strings attached to them. 
The decks are covered with sandal-wood. The holds are 
full of spice, shells, feathers^ and South Sea pearl shells. 
With this cargo they creep from island to island, and 
from creek to creek, before the monsoon, till they reach 
their destination. They stay a month or six weeks, 
change their goods for iron, nails, a certain amount of 
pale green or Indian red thread for weaving, and some 
pieces of Manchester cotton. They then go back with 
the north-east monsoon, selling their goods at the various 
islands on their homeward route. There are many Dutch 
ports nearer than Singapore, but they are over-regulated, 
and preference is given to the free English port, where 
the simple natives can do as they like so long as they do 
not transgress the laws. 

As we were going on board, we met the Maharajah 
of Johore's servant, just going off with invitations to din- 
ner, lunch, and breakfast for the next two days for all 
our party, and with all sorts of kind propositions for 
shooting and other amusements. 

Some of our friends came off before luncheon to see 
the yacht, and we returned with them to tiffin at Govern- 
ment House. At four o'clock the carriage came round 
to take us to Johore. We wished good-by to Singa- 
pore and all our kind friends, and started on a lovely 
drive through the tropical scenery. There is a capital 
road, fifteen miles in length, across the island, and our 
little ponies rattled along at a good pace. There was a 
pleasant breeze and not much dust, no sun, and a stream 



ACACIA FLAMBOYANTE. 383 

ran the whole way by the side of the road. The acacia 
flamboyante — that splendid tree which came originally 
from Rangoon and Sumatra — was planted alongside the 
road, and produced a most charming effect. It is a 
large tree, with large leaves of the most delicate green ; 
on its topmost boughs grow gorgeous clusters of scarlet 
flowers with yellow centers, and the effect of these scar- 
let plumes tossing in the air is truly beautiful. As we 
were driving along we espied a splendid butterfly, with 
wings about ten inches long. Mr. Bingham jumped out 
of the carriage and knocked it down with his hat ; but 
it was so like the color of leaves in grass that in the twi- 
light nobody could distinguish it, and, to our great dis- 
appointment, we could not find it. We were equally un- 
successful in our attempted capture of a water-snake a 
couple of feet long. We threw sticks and stones, and 
our syce waded into the stream, but all to no purpose ; 
it glided away into some safe little hole under the 
bank. 

We reached the sea-shore about six o'clock, and found 
the Maharajah's steam-launch waiting to convey us across 
the Straits to the mainland. These Straits used to be the 
old route to Singapore, and are somewhat intricate. Tom 
engaged a very good pilot to bring the yacht round, but 
at the last moment thought that he should like to bring 
her himself ; the result being that he arrived rather late 
for dinner. The Maharajah and most of the party were 
out shooting when we arrived ; but Sir William Jervoise 
met us and showed us round the place, and also arranged 
about rooms for us to dress in. Johore is a charming 
place ; the Straits are so narrow and full of bends that 
they look more like a peaceful river or inland lake in the 
heart of a tropical forest than an arm of the mighty ocean. 
As we approached we had observed a good deal of smoke 
rising from the jungle, and as the shades of evening closed 
over the scene, we could see the lurid glare of two exten- 
sive fires. 



384 MAHARAJAH OF J OH ORE. 

We sat down thirty to dinner at eight o'clock. There 
were the Maharajah's brothers, the Prime Minister, Har- 
kim, or Judge, and several other Malay chiefs, the Gov- 
ernor of the Straits Settlements, his family and suite, 
and one or two people from Singapore. The dinner was 
cooked and served in European style ; the table decorated 
with gold and silver epergnes full of flowers, on velvet 
stands, and with heaps of small cut-flower glasses full of 
jasmine. We were waited on by the Malay servants of 
the establishment, dressed in gray and yellow, and by the 
Governor's Madras servants, in white and scarlet. The 
Maharajah and his native guests were all in English even- 
ing dress, with white waistcoats, bright turbans, and 
sarongs. The room was large and open on all sides, and 
the fresh evening breeze, in addition to the numerous 
punkahs, made it delightfully cool. The Maharajah is a 
strict Mohammedan himself, and drinks nothing but water. 
I spent the three hours during which the dinner lasted in 
very pleasant conversation with my two neighbors. We 
returned on board soon after eleven o'clock. 

Monday, March igth. — Mabelle and I went ashore at 
six o'clock for a drive. It was a glorious morning, with a 
delightfully cool breeze, and the excursion was most en- 
joyable. We drove first through the old town of Johore, 
once of considerable importance, and still a place of trade 
for opium, indigo, pepper, and other tropical products. 
Nutmeg and maize used to be the great articles of export, 
but latterly the growth has failed, and, instead of the 
groves we had expected to see, there were only solitary 
trees. After leaving the town we went along a good road 
for some distance, with cottages and clearings on either 
side, until we came to a pepper and gambir plantation. 
The two crops are cultivated together, and both are grown 
on the edge of the jungle, for the sake of the wood, which 
is burned in the preparation of the gambir. I confess 
that I had never heard of the latter substance before, but 
I find that it is largely exported to Europe, where it is 



PEPPER, OPIUM, AND INDIGO. 385 

occasionally employed for giving weight to silks, and for 
tanning purposes. 

The pepper garden we saw was many acres in extent. 
Some of the trees in the forest close by are very fine, es- 
pecially the camphor-wood, and the great red, purple, 
and copper-colored oleanders, which grow in clumps 
twenty and thirty feet in height. The orchids with which 
all the trees were covered, hanging down in long tassels 
of lovely colors, or spread out like great spotted butter- 
flies and insects, were most lovely of all. By far the most 
abundant was the white phalaenopsis, with great drooping 
sprays of pure white waxy blossoms, some delicately 
streaked with crimson, others with yellow. It was a gen- 
uine jungle, and we were told that it is the resort of nu- 
merous tigers and elephants, and that snakes abound. 

On our way back through the town we stopped to see 
the process of opium-making. This drug is brought from 
India in an almost raw state, rolled up in balls, about the 
size of billiard balls, and wrapped in its own leaves. 
Here it is boiled down, several times refined, and pre- 
pared for smoking. The traffic in it forms a very profit- 
able monopoly, which is shared in Singapore between the 
English Government and the Maharajah of Johore. 

We also saw indigo growing ; the dye is prepared very 
much in the same way as the gambir. That grown here 
is not so good as that which comes from India, and it is 
therefore not much exported, though it is used by the in- 
numerable Chinese in the Malay peninsula to dye all 
their clothes, which are invariably of some deep shade of 
blue. We saw sago-palms growing, but the mill was not 
working, so that we could not see the process of manufac- 
ture ; but it seems to be very similar to the preparation 
of tapioca, which we had seen in Brazil. 

On our passage through the town we went to look at 
a large gambling establishment ; of course no one was 
playing so early in the morning, but in the evening it is 
always densely crowded, and is a great source of profit 



386 GOOD-BY TO THE MAHARAJAH. 

to the proprietor. I could not manage to make out ex- 
actly from the description what the game they play is 
like, but it was not fan-tan. We now left the carriage, 
and strolled to see the people, the shops, and the market. 
I bought all sorts of common curiosities, little articles of 
everyday life, some of which will be sure to amuse and 
interest my English friends. Among my purchases were 
a wooden pillow, some joss candles, a two-stringed fiddle, 
and a few preserved eggs, which they say are over a hun- 
dred years old. The eggs are certainly nasty enough for 
anything ; still it seems strange that so thrifty a people as 
the Chinese should allow so much capital to lie dormant 
— literally buried in the earth. 

At half- past nine o'clock the Maharajah, with the 
Governor and all his guests, came on board. His High- 
ness inspected the yacht with the utmost minuteness 
and interest, though his Mohammedan ideas about women 
were considerably troubled when he was told that I had 
had a great deal to do with the designing and arrange- 
ment of the interior. At half-past eleven the party left, 
and an hour afterwards we went to make our adieux to 
the Maharajah. 

On our departure the Maharajah ordered twenty coolies 
to accompany us, laden with fragrant tropical plants. 
He also gave me some splendid Malay silk sarongs, grown, 
made, and woven in his kingdom, a pair of tusks of an 
elephant shot within a mile of the house, besides a live 
little beast, not an alligator, and not an armadillo or a 
lizard ; in fact I do not know what it is ; it clings round 
my arm just like a bracelet, and it was sent as a present 
by the ex-Sultan of Johore. Having said farewell to our 
kind host and other friends, we pushed off from the shore, 
and embarked on board the yacht ; the anchor was up, 
and by five o'clock a bend in the Straits hid hospitable 
and pleasant Johore from our view, and all we could see 
was the special steamer on her way back to Singapore 
with the Maharajah's guests on board. At Tanjore we 



SMALL-POX ON BOARD. 387 

dropped our funny little pilot, and proceeded on our 
course towards Penang. The Straits are quite lovely, and 
fully repaid the trouble and time involved in the detour 
made to visit them. The sun set and the young moon 
arose over as lovely a tropical scene as you can possibly 
imagine. 

Tuesday, March 20th. — At 5.30, when we were called, 
the Doctor came and announced that he had something 
very important to communicate to us. This proved to 
be that one of our men was suffering from small-pox, and 
not from rheumatic fever, as had been supposed. My 
first thought was that Muriel had been with the Doctor 
to see him yesterday evening; my next, that many men 
had been sleeping in the same part of the vessel with 
him ; my third, that for his greater comfort he had been 
each day in our part of the ship ; and my fourth, what 
was to be done now? After a short consultation, Tom 
decided to alter our course for Malacca, where we arrived 
at half-past nine ; the Doctor at once went on shore in a 
native prahu to make the best arrangements he could 
under the circumstances. He was fortunate enough to 
find Dr. Simon, nephew of the celebrated surgeon of the 
same name, installed as head physician at the civil hos- 
pital here. He came off at once with the hospital boat, 
and, having visited the invalid, declared his illness to be 
a very mild case of small-pox. He had brought off some 
lymph with him, and recommended us all to be re-vacci- 
nated. He had also brought sundry disinfectants, and 
gave instructions about fumigating and disinfecting the 
yacht. All the men were called upon the quarter-deck, 
and addressed by Tom, and we were surprised to find 
what a large proportion of them objected to the operation 
of vaccination. At last, however, the prejudices of all of 
them, except two, were overcome. One of the latter had 
promised his grandfather that he never would be vacci- 
nated under any circumstances, while another would con- 
sent to be inoculated, but would not be vaccinated. We 



388 STRAITS OF MALACCA. 

had consulted our own medical man before leaving Eng- 
land, and knew that for ourselves the operation was not 
necessary, but we nevertheless underwent it pour eiicou- 
rager les autres. While the Doctor was on shore we had 
been surrounded by boats bringing monkeys, birds, ratan 
and Malacca canes, fruit, rice, &c, to sell, and as I did 
not care to go ashore, thinking there might be some 
bother about quarantine, we made bargains over the side 
of the yacht with the traders, the result being that seven 
monkeys, about fifty birds, of sorts, and innumerable 
bundles of canes, were added to the stock on board. In 
the meantime Dr. Simon had removed our invalid to the 
hospital. 

Malacca looks exceedingly pretty from the sea. It is 
a regular Malay village, consisting of huts, built on piles 
close to the water, overshadowed by cocoa palms and 
other forms of tropical vegetation. Mount Ofia rises in 
the distance behind ; there are many green islands, too, 
in the harbor. By one o'clock we were again under way, 
and once more en route for Penang. 

Wednesday, March 2\st. — During the night we had 
heavy thunderstorms. About 1 1 a.m. we passed a piece 
of drift-wood with a bird perched on the top, presenting 
a most curious effect. Several of the men on board mis- 
took it for the back fin of a large shark. About 5 p.m. 
we made the island of Penang. After sunset it became 
very hazy, and we crept slowly up, afraid of injuring the 
numerous stake nets that are set about the Straits most 
promiscuously, and without any lights to mark their posi- 
tion. Before midnight we had dropped our anchor. 

Thursday, March 22d. — At 5 a.m., when we were 
called, the whole sky was overcast with a lurid glare, and 
the atmosphere was thick, as if with the fumes of some 
vast conflagration. As the sun rose in raging fierceness, j 
the sky cleared, and became of a deep, clear, transparent 
blue. The island of Penang is very beautiful, especially 
in the early morning light. It was fortunate we did not 



NO QUARANTINE. 389 

try to come in last night, as we could now see that we 
must inevitably have run through some of the innumera- 
ble stake nets I mentioned. As we approached George- 
town, the capital of the province, we passed many steam- 
ers and sailing ships at anchor in the roads. A pilot 
offered his services, but Tom declined them with thanks, 
and soon afterwards skillfully brought us up close in shore 
in the crowded roadstead. The harbor-master sent off, 
as did also the mail-master, but no Board of Health offi- 
cials appeared ; so after some delay, the Doctor went on 
shore to find the local medical man, promising shortly to 
return. He did not, however, reappear, and after waiting 
a couple of hours, we landed without opposition. We 
packed off all the servants for a run on shore, and had all 
the fires put out in order to cool the ship. Our first in- 
quiry was for a hotel where we could breakfast, and we 
were recommended to go to the Hotel de l'Europe. 

Our demands for breakfast were met at first with the 
reply that it was too late, and that we must wait till one- 
o'clock tiffin ; but a little persuasion induced the manager 
to find some cold meat, eggs, and lemonade. We after- 
wards drove out to one or two shops, but anything so 
hopeless as the stores here I never saw. Not a single 
curiosity could we find, not even a bird. We drove 
round the town, and out to the Governor's house ; he was 
away, but we were most kindly received by Mrs. Anson 
and his daughter, and strongly recommended by them to 
make an expedition to the bungalow at the top of the 
hill. In about an hour and a half, always ascending, we 
reached the Governor's bungalow, situated in a charming 
spot, where the difference of io° in the temperature, 
caused by being 1,500 feet higher up, is a great boon. 
After tiffin and a rest at the hotel, a carriage came to 
take us to the foot of the hill, about four miles from the 
town. We went first to a large Jesuit establishment, 
where some most benevolent old priests were teaching a 
large number of Malay boys reading, writing, and geo- 



39<D THE MOUNT, PENANG. 

graphy. Then we went a little farther, and, in a small 
wooden house, under the cocoa-trees, at last found some 
of the little humming-birds for which the Malay Archi- 
pelago is famous. They glisten with a marvelous metal- 
lic luster all over their bodies, instead of only in patches, 
as one sees upon those in South America and the West 
Indies. The drive was intensely tropical in character, 
until we reached the waterfall, where we left the carriage 
and got into chairs, each carried by six coolies. The 
scenery all about the waterfall is lovely, and a large 
stream of sparkling, cool, clear water tumbling over the 
rocks was most refreshing to look at. Many people who 
have business in Penang live up here, riding up and down 
morning and evening, for the sake of the cool, refreshing 
night air. One of the most curious things in vegetation 
which strikes our English eyes is the extraordinary abun- 
dance of the sensitive plant. It is interwoven with all the 
grass, and grows thickly in all the hedgerows. In the 
neatly kept turf, round the Government bungalow, its 
long, creeping, prickly stems, acacia-like leaves, and little 
fluffy mauve balls of flowers are so numerous, that, walk- 
ing up and down the croquet lawn, it appears to be bow- 
ing before you, for the delicate plants are sensible of even 
an approaching footstep, and shut up and hide their tiny 
leaves among the grass long before you really reach 
them. 

From the top of the hill you can see ninety miles in 
the clear atmosphere, far away across the Straits of Perak 
to the mainland. We could not stay long, and were 
carried down the hill backwards, as our bearers were 
afraid of our tumbling out of the chairs if we traveled for- 
wards. The tropical vegetation is even more striking 
here, but, alas ! it is already losing its novelty to us. 
Those were indeed pleasant days, when everything was 
new and strange ; it seems now almost as if years, not 
months, had gone past since we first entered these lati- 
tudes. We found the carriage waiting for us when we 



EVENING IN PENANG. 



39 1 



arrived at the bottom of the hill about seven o'clock, and 
it was not long before we reached the town. 

The glowworms and fireflies were numerous. The 
natives were cooking their evening meal on the ground 
beneath the tall palm-trees as we passed, with the glare 
of the fires lighting up the picturesque huts, their dark 
figures relieved by their white and scarlet turbans and 
waist-cloth. The whole scene put us very much in mind 
of the old familiar pictures of India, the lithe figures 
of the natives looking like beautiful bronze statues, the 
rough country carts, drawn by buffaloes without harness, 
but dragging by their hump, and driven by black-skinned 
natives armed with a long goad. We went straight to 
the jetty, and found to our surprise that in the roads there 
was quite a breeze blowing, and a very strong tide run- 
ning against it, which made the sea almost rough. 

Mrs. and Miss Anson, Mr. Talbot, and other friends, 
dined with us. At eleven they landed, and we weighed 
anchor, and were soon gliding through the Straits of 
Malacca, shaping for Acheen Head, en route to Galle. 

It seems strange that an important English settlement 
like Penang, where so many large steamers and ships are 
constantly calling, should be without lights or quarantine 
laws. We afterwards learned on shore that the local 
government had already surveyed and fixed a place for 
two leading lights. The reason why no health officers 
came off to us this morning was probably that, small- 
pox and cholera both being prevalent in the town, they 
thought that the fewer questions they asked, and the less 
they saw of incoming vessels, the better. 

Friday, March 23d. — A broiling day, everybody pant- 
ing, parrots and paroquets dying. We passed a large 
bark with every sail set, although it was a flat calm, which 
made us rejoice in the possession of steam-power. Sev- 
eral people on board are very unwell, and the engineer is 
really ill. It is depressing to speculate what would be- 
come of us if anything went wrong in the engine-room 



39 2 



INTENSE HEAT. 



department, and if we should be reduced to sail-power 
alone in this region of calmness. At last even I know 
what it is to be too hot, and am quite knocked up with 
my short experience. 

Saturday, March 2^th. — Another flat calm. The after- 
forecastle having been battened down and fumigated for 




How the Journal was written. 

the last seventy-two hours, was to-day opened, and its 
contents brought up on deck, some to be thrown over- 
board, and others to be washed with carbolic acid. I never 
saw such quantities of things as were turned out ; they 
covered the whole deck, and it seemed as if their cubic 
capacity must be far greater than that of the place in 
which they had been stowed. Besides the beds and tables 



MEETING A FRIEND. 



393 



of eight men, there were forty-eight birds, four monkeys, 
two cockatoos, and a tortoise, besides Japanese cabinets 
and boxes of clothes, books, china, coral, shells, and all 
sorts of imaginable and unimaginable things. One poor 
tortoise had been killed and bleached white by the chlorine 
gas. 

Sunday, March 2^th. — Hotter than ever. It was quite 
impossible to have service either on deck or below. We 
always observe Sunday by showing a little extra attention 
to dress, and, as far as the gentlemen are concerned, a 
little more care in the matter of shaving. On other days 
I fear our toilets would hardly pass muster in civilized so- 
ciety. Tom set the example of leaving off collars, coats, 
and waistcoats ; so shirts and trousers are now the order 
of the day. The children wear grass-cloth pinafores and 
very little else, no shoes or stockings, Manilla or Chinese 
slippers being worn by those who dislike bare feet. I find 
my Tahitian and Hawaiian dresses invaluable ; they are 
really cool, loose, and comfortable, and I scarcely ever 
wear anything else. 

We passed a large steamer about 7.30 a.m., and in the 
afternoon altered our course to speak the ' Middlesex,' of 
London, bound to the Channel for orders. We had quite 
a long conversation with the captain, and parted with 
mutual good wishes for a pleasant voyage. It was a lovely 
moonlight night, but very hot, though we found a delight- 
ful sleeping-place beneath the awning on deck. 

Monday, March 26th. — The sun appeared to rise even 
fiercer and hotter than ever this morning. I have been 
very anxious for the last few days about Baby, who has 
been cutting some teeth and has suffered from a rash. 
Muriel has been bitten all over by mosquitoes, and Mabelle 
has also suffered from heat-rash. Just now every little 
ailment suggests small-pox to our minds. 

About noon, when in latitude 6.25 north, and in longi- 
tude 88.25 east, we began to encounter a great deal of drift- 
wood, many large trees, branches, plants, leaves, nautilus 



394 BOAT OR TREE? 

shells, backbones of cuttlefish, and, in addition, large 
quantities of yellow spawn, evidently deposited by some 
fish of large size. The spawn appeared to be of a very 
solid, consistent character, like large yellow grapes, con- 
nected together in a sort of gelatinous mass. It formed a 
continuous wide yellow streak perhaps half a mile in length, 
and with the bits of wood and branches sticking up in its 
midst at intervals, it would not have required a very lively 
imagination to fashion it at a little distance into a sea 
serpent. Where does all this debris come from ? was the 
question asked by everybody. Out of the Bay of Bengal 
probably, judging from the direction of the current. We 
wondered if it could possibly be the remains of some of 
the trees uprooted by the last great cyclone. 

At 1.30 p.m. a man cried out from the rigging, ' Boat 
on the starboard bow ! ' a cry that produced great excite- 
ment immediately; our course was altered and telescopes 
and glasses brought to bear upon the object in question. 
Every one on board, except our old sailing-master, said 
it was a native boat. Some even said that they could see 
a man on board waving something. Powell alone de- 
clared it to be the root of a palm from the Bay of Bengal, 
and he proved right. A very large root it was, with one 
single stem and a few leaves hanging down, which had 
exactly the appearance of broken masts, tattered sails, 
and torn rigging. We went close alongside to have a 
good look at it ; the water was as clear as crystal, and be- 
neath the surface were hundreds of beautifully colored 
fish, greedily devouring something — I suppose small in- 
sects, or fish entangled among the roots. 

Tuesday, March 2jth. — It requires a great effort to do 
anything, except before sunrise or after sunset, owing to 
the intense heat ; and when one is not feeling well it 
makes exertion still more difficult. At night the heat be- 
low is simply unbearable ; the cabins are deserted, and all 
mattresses are brought up on deck. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

CEYLON. 

Thus was this place 
A happy rural seat of various views , 
Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm, 
Others, whose fruit, burnish' d with golden rind, 
Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true. 

Wednesday, March 22>tk. — At midnight the wind was 
slightly ahead, and we could distinctly smell the fragrant 
breezes and spicy odors of Ceylon. We made the eastern 
side of the island at daylight, and coasted along its palm- 
fringed shores all day. I had been very unwell for some 
days past, but this delightful indication of our near ap- 
proach to the land seemed to do me good at once. If 
only the interior is as beautiful as what we can see from 
the deck of the yacht, my expectations will be fully real- 
ized, brilliant as they are. 

As the sun set, the beauty of the scene from the deck 
of the yacht seemed to increase. We proceeded slowly, 
and at about nine o'clock were in the roads of Galle and 
could see the ships at anchor. Tom did not like to ven- 
ture farther in the dark without a pilot, and accordingly 
told the signal-man to make signals for one ; but being 
impatient, he sent up a rocket, besides burning blue lights, 
a mistake which had the effect of bringing the first of- 
ficer of the P. and O. steamship ' Poonah ' on board, who 
thought perhaps we had got aground or were in trouble 
of some sort. He also informed us that pilots never 
came off after dark, and kindly offered to show us a 
good anchorage for the night. 

395 



396 HARBOR AT GALLE. 

Thursday, March 29th. — The pilot came off early, and 
soon after six we dropped anchor in Galle harbor. The 
entrance is fine, and the bay one of the most beautiful in 
the world. The picturesque town, with its old buildings, 
and the white surf dashing in among the splendid cocoa- 
trees which grow down to the water's edge, combined to 
make up a charming picture. We went on board the 
' Poonah ' to breakfast as arranged, and afterwards all 
over the ship, which is in splendid order. Thence we 
went ashore to the Oriental Company's Hotel, a most 
comfortable building, with a large, shady veranda, which 
to - day was crowded by passengers from the ' Poonah.' 
At tiffin there was a great crowd, and we met some old 
friends. At three o'clock we returned to the yacht, to 
show her to the captain of the ' Poonah ' and some of his 
friends, and an hour later we started in two carriages for a 
drive to Wockwalla, a hill commanding a splendid view. 
The drive was delightful, and the vegetation more beau- 
tiful than any we have seen since leaving Tahiti, but it 
would have been more enjoyable if we had not been so 
pestered by boys selling flowers and bunches of mace in va- 
rious stages of development. It certainly is very pretty 
when the peach-like fruit is half open and shows the net- 
work of scarlet mace surrounding the brown nutmeg within. 
From Wockwalla the view is lovely, over paddy-fields, 
jungle, and virgin forest, up to the hills close by and 
to the mountains beyond. There is a small refreshment- 
room at the top of the hill, kept by a nice little mulatto 
woman and her husband. Here we drank lemonade, ate 
mangoes, and watched the sun gradually declining, but we 
were obliged to leave before it had set, as we wanted to 
visit the cinnamon gardens on our way back. The pretti- 
est thing in the whole scene was the river running through 
the middle of the landscape, and the white-winged, scar- 
let-bodied cranes, disporting themselves along the banks 
among the dark green foliage and light green shoots of 
the crimson-tipped cinnamon-trees. We had a glorious 



PRECIOUS STONES. 



397 



drive home along the sea-shore under cocoanut-trees, 
among which the fireflies flitted, and through which we 
could see the red and purple afterglow of the sunset. 
Ceylon is, as every one knows, celebrated for its real gems, 
and almost as much for the wonderful imitations offered 
for sale by the natives. Some are made in Birmingham and 
exported, but many are made here and in India, and are 
far better in appearance than ours, or even those of Paris. 
More than once in the course of our drive, half-naked 
Indians produced from their waist-cloths rubies, sapphires, 
and emeralds for which they asked from one to four 
thousand rupees, and gratefully took fourpence, after a 
long run with the carriage, and much vociferation and 
gesticulation. After table-d 'hdte dinner at the hotel we 
went off to the yacht in a pilot boat ; the buoys were all 
illuminated, and boats with four or five men in them, pro- 
vided with torches, were in readiness to show us the right 
way out. By ten o'clock we were outside the harbor and 
on our way to Colombo. 

Friday, March 30//2. — It rained heavily during the 
night, and we were obliged to sleep in the deck-house in- 
stead of on deck. At daylight all was again bright and 
beautiful, and the cocoanut-clad coast of Ceylon looked 
most fascinating in the early morning light. About ten 
o'clock we dropped our anchor in the harbor at Colombo, 
which was crowded with shipping. 175,000 coolies have 
been landed here within the last two or three months ; 
consequently labor is very cheap this year in the coffee 
plantations. 

The instant we anchored we were of course surrounded 
by boats selling every possible commodity and curiosity, 
carved ebony, ivory, sandal-wood, and models of the curi- 
ous boats in use here. These boats are very long and 
narrow, with an enormous outrigger and large sail, and 
when it is very rough, nearly the whole of the crew of the 
boat go out one by one, and sit on the outrigger to keep 
it in the water, from which springs the Cingalese saying, 



398 



COLOMBO. 



1 One man, two men, four men breeze.' The heat was in- 
tense, though there was a pleasant breeze under the awn- 
ing on deck ; we therefore amused ourselves by looking 
over the side and bargaining with the natives, until our 
letters, which we had sent for, arrived. About one o'clock 
we went ashore, encountering on our way some exceed- 
ingly dreadful smells, wafted from ships laden with guano, 
bones, and other odoriferous cargoes. The inner harbor 
is unsavory and unwholesome to the last degree, and is 
just now crowded with many natives of various castes 
from the South of India. 

Colombo is rather a European-looking town, with fine 
buildings and many open green spaces, where there were 
actually soldiers playing cricket, with great energy, un- 
der the fierce rays of the midday sun. We went at once 
to a hotel and rested ; loitering after tiffin in the ve- 
randa, which was as usual crowded with sellers of all sorts 
of Indian things. Most of the day was spent in driving 
about, and having made our arrangements for an early 
start to-morrow, we then walked down to the harbor, 
getting drenched on our way by a tremendous thunder- 
storm. 

Saturday, March ^\st. — Up early, and after rather a 
scramble we went ashore at seven o'clock, just in time to 
start by the first train to Kandy. There was not- much 
time to spare, and we therefore had to pay sovereigns for 
our tickets instead of changing them for rupees, thereby 
receiving only ten instead of eleven and a half, the cur- 
rent rate of exchange that day. It seemed rather sharp 
practice on the part of' the railway company {alias the 
Government) to take sovereigns in at the window at ten 
rupees, and sell them at the door for eleven and a half, to 
speculators waiting ready and eager to clutch and sell 
them again at an infinitesimally small profit. 

The line to Kandy is always described as one of the 
most beautiful railways in the world, and it certainly de- 
serves the character. The first part of the journey is 



EASTER AT KAXDY. 



399 



across jungle and through plains; then one goes climbing 
up and up, looking down on all the beauties of tropical 
vegetation, to distant mountains shimmering in the glare 
and haze of the burning sun. The carriages were well 
ventilated and provided with double roofs, and were 
really tolerably cool. 

About nine o'clock we reached Ambepussa, and the 
scenery increased in beauty from this point. A couple 
of hours later we reached Peradeniya, the junction for 
Gampola. Here most of the passengers got out, bound 
for Neuera-ellia, the sanitarium of Ceylon, 7,000 feet 
above the sea. Soon after leaving the station, we passed 
the Satinwood Bridge. Here we had a glimpse of the 
botanical garden at Kandy, and soon afterwards reached 
the station. We were at once rushed at by two telegraph 
boys, each with a telegram of hospitable invitation, whilst 
a third friend met us with his carriage, and asked us to 
go at once to his house, a few miles out of Kandy. We 
hesitated to avail ourselves of his kind offer, as we were 
such a large party; but he insisted, and at once set off 
to make things ready for us, whilst we went to breakfast 
and rest at a noisy, dirty, and uncomfortable hotel. It 
was too hot to do anything except to sit in the veranda 
and watch planter after planter come in for an iced 
drink at the bar. The town is quite full for Easter, partly 
for the amusements and partly for the Church services ; 
for on many of the coffee estates there is no church within 
a reasonable distance. 

About four o'clock the carriage came round for us, 
and having dispatched the luggage in a gharry, we drove 
round the lovely lake, and so out to Peradeniya, where 
our friend lives, close to the Botanic Gardens. Many of 
the huts and cottages by the roadside have ' small-pox ' 
written upon them in large letters, in three languages, 
English, Sanskrit, and Cingalese, a very sensible precau- 
tion, for the natives are seldom vaccinated, and this ter- 
rible disease is a real scourge among them. Having 



4 oo TALLIPOT-PALMS. 

reached the charming bungalow, it was a real luxury to 
lounge in a comfortable easy-chair in a deep cool veranda, 
and to inhale the fragrance of the flowers, whilst lazily 
watching the setting of the sun. Directly it dipped be- 
low the horizon, glowworms and fireflies came out, bright 
and numerous as though the stars had come down to 
tread, or rather fly, a fairy dance among the branches of 
the tall palm-trees high overhead. Our rooms were most 
comfortable, and the baths delicious. After dinner we all 
adjourned once more to the veranda to watch the dancing 
fireflies, the lightning, and the heavy thunder-clouds, and 
enjoy the cool evening breeze. You in England who 
have never been in the tropics cannot appreciate the in- 
tense delight of that sensation. Then we went to bed, 
and passed a most luxurious night of cool and comfortable 
sleep, not tossing restlessly about, as we had been doing 
for some time past. 

Sunday, April 1st. — I awoke before daylight. Our 
bed faced the windows, which were wide open, without 
blinds, curtains, or shutters, and I lay and watched the 
light gradually creeping over the trees, landscape, and 
garden, and the sun rising glorious from behind the dis- 
tant mountains, shining brightly into the garden, draw- 
ing out a thousand fresh fragrances from every leaf and 
flower. 

By seven o'clock we found ourselves enjoying an early 
tea within the pretty bungalow in the center of the 
Botanic Gardens, and thoroughly appreciating delicious 
fresh butter and cream, the first we have tasted for ages. 
We went for the most delightful stroll afterwards, and 
saw for the first time many botanical curiosities, and sev- 
eral familiar old friends growing in greater luxuriance 
than our eyes are even yet accustomed to. The groups 
of palms were most beautiful. I never saw anything finer 
than the tallipot-palm, and the areca, with the beetle- 
vine climbing round it ; besides splendid specimens of 
the kitool or jaggery-palm. Then there was the palmyra, 



AMERICAN LILIES. 401 

which to the inhabitant of the North of Ceylon is what 
the cocoanut is to the inhabitant of the South — food, 
clothing, and lodging. The pitcher-plants and the rare 
scarlet amherstia looked lovely, as did also the great 
groups of yellow and green stemmed bamboos. There 
were magnolias, shaddocks, hibiscus, the almost too fra- 
grant yellow-flowered champac, sacred to Hindoo mythol- 
ogy ; nutmeg and cinnamon trees, tea and coffee, and 
every other conceivable plant and tree, growing in the 
wildest luxuriance. Through the center of the gardens 
flows the river Ambang Ganga, and the whole 140 acres 
are laid out so like an English park that, were it not for 
the unfamiliar foliage, you might fancy yourself at home. 

We drove back to our host's to breakfast, and directly 
afterwards started in two carriages to go to church at 
Kandy. The church is a fine large building, lofty, and 
cool, and well ventilated. This being Easter Sunday, the 
building was lavishly decorated with palms and flowers. 
The service was well performed, and the singing was ex- 
cellent. The sparrows flew in and out by the open doors 
and windows. One of the birds was building a nest in a 
corner, and during the service she added to it a marabout 
feather, a scrap of lace, and an end of pink ribbon. It 
will be a curious nest when finished, if she adds at this 
rate to her miscellaneous collection. 

After church we walked to the Government House. 
Sir William Gregory is, unfortunately for us, away in 
Australia, and will not return till just after our departure. 
The entrance to it was gay with gorgeous scarlet lilies, 
brought over by some former Governor from South 
America. It is a very fine house, but unfinished. We 
wandered through the ' banquet halls deserted,' and then 
sat a little while in the broad, cool, airy veranda looking 
into the beautiful garden and on to the mountain beyond. 

At half-past eleven it was time to leave this delight- 
fully cool, retired spot, and to drive to a very pleasant 
luncheon, served on a polished round walnut-wood tabic, 
26 



4 o2 COURT OF JUSTICE. 

without any tablecloth, a novel and pretty plan in so hot 
a climate. As soon as it became sufficiently cool we 
went on round the upper lake and to the hills above, 
whence we looked down upon Kandy, one of the most 
charmingly placed cities in the world. As we came back 
we stopped for a few minutes at the Court, a very fair 
specimen of florid Hindoo architecture, where the- judges 
sit, and justice of all kinds is administered, and where the 
Prince of Wales held the installation of the Order of St. 
Michael and St. George during his visit. We also looked 
in at some of the bazaars, to examine the brass chatties 
and straw-work. Then came another delicious rest in the 
veranda among the flowers until it was time for dinner. 
Such flowers as they are ! The Cape jessamines are in 
full beauty just now, and our host breaks off for us great 
branches laden with the fragrant bloom. 

Monday, April 2d. — Before breakfast I took a stroll 
all round the place, with our host, to look at his nu- 
merous pets, which include spotted deer, monkeys, and all 
sorts of other creatures. We also went to the stables, 
and saw first the horses, and the horsekeepers with their 
pretty Indian wives and children. Then we wandered 
down to the bamboo-fringed shores of the river, which 
rises in the mountains here, and flows right through the 
island to Trincomalee. 

At eleven o'clock Tom and I said 'good-by' to the 
rest of the party, and went by train to Gampola, to take 
the coach to Neuera-ellia, where we were to stay with an 
old friend. We went only a dozen miles in the train, 
and then were turned out into what is called a coach, 
but is really a very small rough wagonette, capable of 
holding six people with tolerable comfort, but into which 
seven, eight, and even nine were crammed. By the time 
the vehicle was fully laden, we found there was positive- 
ly no room for even the one box into which Tom's things 
and my own had all been packed ; so we had to take out 
indispensable necessaries, and tie them up in a bundle 



JIBBIXG HORSES. 403 

like true sailors out for a holiday, leaving our box behind, 
in charge of the station-master, until our return. The 
first part of the drive was not very interesting, the road 
passing only through paddy-fields and endless tea and 
coffee plantations. We reached Pusillawa about two 
o'clock, where we found a rough and ready sort of break- 
fast awaiting us. Thence we had a steep climb through 
some of the finest coffee estates in Ceylon, belonging to 
the Rothschilds, until we reached Rangbodde. Here 
there was another delay of half an hour ; but although 
we were anxious to get on, to arrive in time for dinner, 
it was impossible to regret stopping amidst this lovely 
scenery. The house which serves as a resting-place is a 
wretched affair, but the view from the veranda in front 
is superb. A large river falls headlong over the steep 
wall of rock, forming three splendid waterfalls, which, 
uniting and rushing under a fine one-arched bridge, com- 
plete this scene of beauty and grandeur. 

We were due at Neuera-ellia at six, but we had only 
one pair of horses to drag our heavy load up the steep 
mountain road, and the poor creatures jibbed, kicked 
over the traces, broke them three times, and more than 
once were so near going over the edge of the precipice 
that I jumped out, and the other passengers, all gentle- 
men, walked the whole of that stage. The next was no 
better, the fresh pair of horses jibbing and kicking worse 
than ever. At last one kicked himself free of all the 
harness, and fell on his back in a deep ditch. If it had 
not been so tiresome, it really would have been very 
laughable, especially as everybody was more or less afraid 
of the poor horse's heels, and did not in the least know 
how to extricate him. 

In this dilemma our hunting experiences came in use- 
fully, for with the aid of a trace, instead of a stirrup 
leather, passed round his neck, half a dozen men man- 
aged to haul the horse on to his legs again ; but the 
pitchy darkness rendered the repair of damages an 



404 



HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES. 



exceedingly difficult task. The horses, moreover, even 
when once more in their proper position, declined to 
move, but the gentlemen pushed and the drivers flogged 
and shouted, and very slowly and with many stops we 
ultimately reached the end of that stage. Here we 
found a young horse, who had no idea at all of harness ; 
so after a vain attempt to utilize his services, another was 
sent for, thus causing further delay. 

It was now nine o'clock, and we were all utterly ex- 
hausted. We managed to procure from a cottage some 
new-laid eggs and cold spring water, and these eaten raw, 
with a little brandy from a hunting flask, seemed to refresh 
us all. There was again a difficulty in starting, but, once 
fairly under way, the road was not so steep and the horses 
went better. I was now so tired, and had grown so ac- 
customed to hairbreadth escapes, that, however near we 
went to the edge of the precipice, I did not feel capable 
of jumping out, but sat still and watched listlessly, wonder- 
ing whether we should really go over or not. After many 
delays we reached Head-quarter House, where the warmth 
of the welcome our old friend gave us soon made us 
forget how tired we were. They had waited dinner until 
half-past seven, and had then given us up. There were 
blazing wood fires both in the drawing-room and in our 
bedroom, and in five minutes a most welcome dinner was 
put before us. Afterwards we could have staid and 
chatted till midnight, but we were promptly sent off to 
bed, and desired to reserve the rest of our news until 
morning. 

Tuesday, April 3d.- — A ten-o'clock breakfast afforded 
us ample opportunity for a delicious rest and letter- 
writing beforehand. Afterwards we strolled round the 
garden, full of English flowers, roses, carnations, mign- 
onnette, and sweet peas. Tom and the gentlemen went'- 
for a walk, whilst we ladies rested and chatted and wrote 
letters. 

After lunch we all started — a large party — to go to the 



LAND-LEECHES. 



405 



athletic sports on the race-course, where ah impromptu 
sort of grand-stand had been erected — literally a stand, 
for there were no seats. There were a great many people, 
and the regimental band played very well. To us it ap- 
peared a warm, damp day, although the weather was much 
cooler than any we have felt lately. This is the week of 
the year, and everybody is here from all parts of the 
island. People who have been long resident in the tropics 
seem to find it very cold ; for the men wore great-coats 
and ulsters, and many of the ladies velvet and sables, or 
sealskin jackets. On the way back from the sports we 
drove round to see something of the settlement ; it cannot 
be called a town, for though there are a good many people 
and houses, no two are within half a mile of one another. 
There are two packs of hounds kept here, one to hunt the 
big elk, the other a pack of harriers. The land-leeches, 
which abound in this neighborhood, are a great plague to 
horses, men, and hounds. It rained last night, and I was 
specially cautioned not to go on the grass or to pick 
flowers, as these horrid creatures fix on one's ankle or arm 
without the slightest warning. I have only seen one, I 
am thankful to say, and have escaped a bite ; but every- 
body seems to dread and dislike them. 

After dinner we went to a very pleasant ball, given 
by the Jinkhana Club, at the barracks. The room was 
prettily decorated with the racing jackets and caps of the 
riders in the races, and with scarlet wreaths of geranium 
and hibiscus mingled with lycopodium ferns and selagi- 
nella. We did not remain very late at the ball, as we had 
to make an early start next morning ; but the drive home 
in the moonlight was almost as pleasant as any part of the 
entertainment. 

Wednesday, April 4th. — We were called at four o'clock, 
and breakfasted at five, everybody appearing either in 
dressing-gowns or in habits to see us set off. They all 
tried to persuade us to stay for the meet of the hounds at 
the house to-day. Another ball to-night, and more races, 



4 o6 DATURAS AND RHODODENDRON TREES. 

and another ball to-morrow ; but we are homeward bound, 
and must hurry on. It was a lovely morning, and we 
waited with great patience at the post-house for at least 
an hour and a half, and watched the hounds come out, 
meet, find, and hunt a hare up and down, and across the 
valley, with merry ringing notes that made us long to be 
on horseback. 

We saw all the race-horses returning from their morn- 
ing gallop, and were enlightened by the syces as to their 
names and respective owners. There were several people, 
a great deal of luggage, and, though last not least, Her 
Majesty's mails, all waiting, like us, for the coach. About 
a quarter to seven a message arrived, to the effect that 
the horses would not come up the hill, they had been 
jibbing for more than an hour, so would we kindly go 
down to the coach. A swarm of coolies immediately 
appeared from some mysterious hiding-place, and con- 
veyed us all, bag and baggage, down the hill, and packed 
us into the coach. Even this concession on our part did 
not induce the horses to make up their minds to move 
for at least another quarter of an hour. Then we had to 
stop at the hotel to pick up somebody else ; but at last 
we had fairly started, eleven people in all, some inside 
and some perched on a box behind. The horses were 
worse than ever, tired to death, poor things ; and as one 
lady passenger was very nervous and insisted on walking 
up all the acclivities, we were obliged to make up our 
pace down the hills. The Pass looked lovely by daylight, 
and the wild flowers were splendid, especially the white 
datura and scarlet rhododendron trees, which were liter- 
ally covered with bloom. 

By daylight, the appearance of the horses was really 
pitiable in the extreme — worn-out, half-starved wretches, 
covered with wounds and sores from collars and harness, 
and with traces of injuries they inflict on themselves in 
their struggles to get free. When once we had seen their 
shoulders, we no longer wondered at their reluctance to 



GEM-HUNTER. 



407 



start ; it really made one quite sick to think even of the 
state they were in. 

If some of the permanent officials were to devote a 
portion of their time to endeavors to introduce American 
coaches, and to ameliorate the condition of the horses on 
this road, they would indeed confer a boon on their coun- 
trymen. The coachman, who was as black as jet, and 
who wore very little clothing, was a curious specimen 
of his class, and appeared by no means skilled in his 
craft. He drove the whole way down the steep zigzag 
road with a loose rein ; at every turn the horses went 
close to the precipice, but were turned in the very nick 
of time by a little black boy who jumped down from 
behind and pulled them round by their traces without 
touching the bridle. We stopped at Rangbodde to 
breakfast, and again at Pusillawa. This seemed a bad 
arrangement, for we were already late ; it resulted in the 
poor horses having to be unmercifully flogged in order to 
enable us to catch the train at Gampola, failing which^ 
the coach proprietors would have had to pay a very heavy 
penalty. 

From Gampola we soon arrived at Peradeniya, where 
we met Mr. Freer, who was going down to Colombo. 
Tom had decided previously to go straight on, so as to 
have the yacht quite ready for an early start to-morrow. 
I in the meantime went to our former hosts for one night 
to pick up Mabelle and the waifs and strays of luggage. 

On my way from the station to the house, going over 
the Satinwood Bridge, from which there is a lovely view 
of the Peacock Mountain, I saw an Englishman whom 
we had observed before, washing stones in the bed of 
the river for gems. He has obtained some rubies and 
sapphires, though only of small size, and I suppose he 
will go on washing forever, hoping to find something 
larger and more valuable. On one part of the coast of 
the island near Managgan the sands on the side of one of 
the rivers are formed of rubies, sapphires, garnets, and 



4 o8 ADAM'S PEAK. 

other precious stones washed down by the current, but 
they are all ground to pieces in the process, not one being 
left as big as a pin's head. The effect in the sunlight, 
when this sand is wet with the waves, is something daz- 
zling, and proves that the accounts of my favorite Sindbad 
are not so fabulous as we prosaic mortals try to make out. 
The island must be rich in gems, for they seem to be 
picked up with hardly any trouble. At Neuera-ellia it is 
a favorite amusement for picnic parties to go out gem- 
hunting, and frequently they meet with very large and 
valuable stones by the riverside or near deserted pits, 
large garnets, cinnamon-stone, splendid cat's-eyes, ame- 
thysts, matura diamonds, moonstone, aqua marine, tour- 
maline rubies, and sapphires. 

On my arrival at the house I found that Mabelle had 
just returned with some friends, who had kindly taken 
charge of her during our absence, and that a very old 
friend had arrived almost directly we left on Monday, and 
had departed early this morning to climb Adam's Peak, 
the ascent of which is a long and tedious affair, but it 
cannot be difficult, as thousands of aged and infirm pil- 
grims go every year to worship at the Buddhist or Mo- 
hammedan temples at the summit. The giant footprint 
has been reverenced alike by both religions from the earli- 
est ages. Its existence is differently accounted for, how- 
ever, by the two sects. The Buddhists say it is the foot- 
print of Buddha, and that an account of its origin was 
written 300 or 400 years B.C. The Mohammedans say 
that it is the first step Adam took when driven out 
of Paradise. They do not quarrel about it, however, but 
live very happily close beside one another in their re- 
spective temples on the very small summit of the moun- 
tain. The iron chains, still used by the pilgrims and 
visitors to assist them up the last weary flight of steps, 
are said to have been placed there in the time of Alexan- 
der the Great, and are mentioned by successive historians. 

After lunch I went to rest, thoroughly tired out with 



RA T-SXAKES. 



409 



the hard work of the last two days, whilst the gentlemen 
went into Kandy, to see Buddha's tooth and a Brahmin 
temple. 

Just before sunset we went to have a last look at those 
lovely Botanical Gardens. They were more beautiful 
than ever in the afternoon light, and I saw many things 
which had escaped my notice before. I have made 
acquaintance with the taste of all sorts of new fruits while 
here, more than in our former journey ; but this is to be 
explained by the proximity of the Botanical Gardens. I 
expected to revel in fruit all through the tropics, but, 
except at Tahiti, we have not done so at all. There is 
one great merit in tropical fruit, which is, that however 
hot the sun may be, when plucked from the tree it is 
always icy cold ; if left for a few minutes, however, it 
becomes as hot as the surrounding atmosphere, and the 
charm is gone. 

On my return, when I went to dress for dinner, I 
found on my table a nasty-looking black beast about six 
inches long. It looked very formidable in the half-light, 
like a scorpion or centipede. It turned out, however, to 
be quite harmless, and a sort of millipede, and rather 
handsome, with jet-black rings, and hundreds of orange- 
colored legs. There are a great many venomous snakes 
in Ceylon, but they always get out of the way as fast as 
they can, and never bite Europeans. All the roofs of the 
thatched bungalows swarm with rats, and in every house 
is kept a rat-snake, which kills and eats these rats. I more 
than once heard a great scuffle going on over my bed- 
room, which generally ended in a little squeak, indicating 
that the snake had killed, and was about to eat, his prey. 
One of the snakes came out one day in front of my win- 
dow, and hung down two or three feet from the roof. If 
I had not been previously assured that he was perfectly 
harmless, it would have been rather an alarming appari- 
tion in the dark, and even as it was, I must confess that 
for a moment I did feel rather frightened as I watched 



4 1 o IMPER TINENT CRO WS. 

him spying about, darting his forked tongue in and out, 
and looking quite ready for a spring at my face. 

Thursday, April $t/i. — Another early start by the seven 
o'clock train to Colombo. We were very sorry to say 
good-by to our kind host, and when we took our depart- 
ure, we were quite laden with flowers, good wishes, and 
messages for mutual friends in England. It was rather 
a hot journey down, and the train seemed full, but the 
scenery was lovely. As we approached Colombo the heat 
became greater, and in the town itself it was almost in- 
supportable. 

We breakfasted at the hotel in the fort, where we were 
joined by Tom. There is one very curious thing about 
the hotels here. The sitting-rooms are all two stories 
high, with pointed raftered roofs. The bedrooms are only 
screened off from each other, and from the central room, 
by partitions eight or ten feet high, so that you can hear 
everything going on from end to end of the building. I 
am not at all sure that the larger amount of ventilation 
secured by this plan compensates for the extra amount of 
noise and want of privacy, especially when, as was the 
case to-day, there is a crying baby who refuses to be paci- 
fied in one of the rooms, a poor little girl ill with whoop- 
ing-cough in another, and some very noisy people, who 
are making themselves both unhappy and cross over some 
lost keys, in a third. 

While we were at breakfast the crows were most 
amusing and impertinent. Every door and window was 
open, and they were perched on the top of the punkah, 
or on the iron crossbars supporting the roof, watching 
their opportunity to pounce down and carry off the bits 
left on our plates. They did not seem to mind the 
waiters a bit, and with their heads cocked on one side, 
looked as droll and saucy as possible. People tell you all 
sorts of funny stories about them ; but though they are 
very entertaining to watch, and apparently perfectly 
tame, it appears to be impossible to capture one alive. 



FAREWELL TO COLOMBO. 411 

By the time breakfast was over we found that the 
1 Sunbeam ' was already under way, and steaming about 
the anchorage ; so it was not long before we were once 
more on board. Going out of harbor we passed a large 
steamer whose passengers and crew cheered us and waved 
their handkerchiefs until we were out of sight, and with 
that pleasant, homely sound ringing in our ears we bade a 
last farewell to Colombo, and started on another stage of 
our homeward voyage. The heat was intense, and there 
was a 10II outside which at once made me feel very un- 
comfortable. There was no wind all the afternoon, and 
the sun sank into the sea, glorious and golden, as we took 
our last look at the lovely island of Ceylon, the land of 
spice and fragrance and beauty. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

TO ADEN. 

Heaven speed the canvas, gallantly unfurled 
To furnish and accommodate a world, 
To give the Pole the produce of the sun. 
And knit the unsocial climates into one. 

Friday, April 6th. — Our visit to Ceylon has been so 
delightful that I wish it could have been prolonged for a 
month, instead of lasting only a week ; but in that case I 
should have preferred to select a cooler season of the year, 
when traveling is more practicable. A most interesting 
journey could be made through the center of the island to 
see the ancient cities, temples, and tanks, over the road 
from Matelle to Nalandi Senadoora, to the curious rock 
temple at Dambool, near which is the fortified rock of 
Sigiri, and a few miles farther are the vast ruins of Topari, 
or Ponamira, the mediaeval capital of Ceylon. It is full of 
wonderful ruins, some of them among the oldest in the 
world. The Ranhol Dagoba, the Jayti Wana Rama, and 
the Galle Wihara and rock temple, carved out of the living 
rock, are alone worth a long journey to see. Then think 
of visiting Anajapoora, the city of rubies, the sacred capi- 
tal of the kingdom of ruins; on whose splendors even the 
Chinese travelers of the early ages used to expatiate with 
fervor. From this point it would be easy to reach the 
peninsula of Jaffna, which has been peopled with Tammils 
for more than two thousand years. It is the country par 
excellence of gardens exquisitely kept, and skillfully irri- 
gated on the old Moorish system. Here are grown all the 
ingredients for the making of curry, which are sent to all 

412 



OLD DUTCH STUD FARM. 



413 



parts of this island and to Southern India. The most im- 
portant crop of all, however, is tobacco, whose excellence 
is famed throughout India, and of which the Rajah of 
Travancore holds the monopoly. 

Then one might go southward from Jaffna, past Aripo, 
and the Gulf of Calpentyn, until the curious reef of 
Adam's Bridge was reached, which almost connects Ceylon 
with India. People say it has been separated by some 
convulsion of nature in former days, and that the passage 
is gradually deepening ; but recent examinations have 
shown that instead of being a remnant of the original rock 
by which Ceylon is supposed to have been once connected 
with the Indian continent, it is in reality a comparatively 
recent ridge of conglomerate and ironstone, covered with 
alluvial deposits carried by the current and heaped up at 
this particular point ; whilst the gradual rising of the 
coast has contributed to give the reef its present alti- 
tude. 

Balchus tells a most improbable story of fifteen Portu- 
guese frigates escaping through the passages of Panupam, 
when pursued by some Dutch cruisers in 1557. Formerly 
the Straits were only thirty-five yards wide, with a maxi- 
mum depth of six feet of water, but lately they have been 
widened and deepened by ten feet, and a little govern- 
ment steamer frequently passes through on a tour round 
the island. At present a sailing ship going from Bombay 
to Madras has to make a curve of five thousand miles in 
order to weather the Maldives and Ceylon. It seems a 
long course for any vessel drawing over ten feet of water 
to be obliged to take. 

In the center of the channel there is a little island 
where a Dutch establishment for horse-breeding former- 
ly stood, the original stud having been imported from 
Arabia. The horses were all turned into corrals and 
caught by means of lassos, and then conquered by domi- 
dores, exactly as they are at the present day in South 
America. Now the stud is dispersed, the buildings are in 



4U 



PEARL FISHING. 



ruins, and all that remains is the Indian pagoda, where 
religious ceremonies, curious processions, and dances of 
nautch-girls occasionally take place and are attended by 
great crowds. To the southward again of Adam's Bridge 
is the celebrated Gulf of Manar, from which the best 
pearls come. 

This is an exceptionally good year for pearls, and the 
price of the shells went up many rupees per thousand in 
the first week. The pearl fishery can be reached in about 
eight hours by steam from Colombo, and it would have 
been delightful to have visited it, had time permitted. 
We were shown an oyster with some beautiful pearls in 
it, all found in the one shell. When a boat with pearls 
reaches the shore, the shells are divided into equal heaps, 
one-fourth going to the boat's crew, and three-fourths to 
the Government Inspector. They keep whichever heap 
he chooses to kick ; so that, being uncertain which they 
will get for themselves, the boat's crew are sure to make a 
fair division. These heaps are then divided and sold by 
auction in thousands, and then subdivided again and 
again. Of course it is always a matter of speculation as 
to whether you get good pearls, bad pearls, or no pearls 
at all, though this last misfortune seldom happens. 

The love of gambling is inherent in every Oriental 
mind, and the merest beggar with but a few pice in his 
wallet to buy his daily food will invest them in a small 
number of oyster shells, hoping to find a pearl of great 
value ; and, should he fail to do so, he contents himself 
with eating the oyster and hoping for better luck next 
time. The shells are generally left on the sand in carefully 
guarded heaps till they die and open, when the pearls are 
extracted, and the fish left to decay. Some of the oysters 
are taken in sealed-up sacks to Colombo, Kandy, and 
other inland places, in order to enable people to indulge 
their love of gambling and speculation, without the trou- 
ble of a journey to Manaar. Though called oysters, they 
are not the proper oyster, but a sort of avicula {Melea- 



LA CCA DIVES AND MALDIVES. 



415 



grina margaritifera being the name given by Samarik), 
very different from the large mother-of-pearl shells in 
which the South Sea pearls are found. 

I have not been able to keep my mind from running 
incessantly on Sir Emerson Tennent's delightful book on 
Ceylon, which describes places we have not ourselves 
visited, but which I wanted very much to see, and I have 
been so interested reading about them that I cannot help 
thinking other people will share my feelings. It seems 
wonderful that so much which is strange, beautiful, and 
interesting should be so easy of access from England, and 
yet that so few English travelers know comparatively any- 
thing of Ceylon, except Galle and Colombo, and perhaps 
Kandy and Trincomalee. 

Saturday, April Jth. — To-day we passed close to the 
island of Minnikoy, between the groups of islands called 
the Laccadives and Maldives, some of which we saw dot- 
ting the horizon ; and still farther to the south stretches 
the Chagos Archipelago. It was very hot all day, with 
.hardly a breath of air, and we have all returned to our 
former light and airy costumes : the gentlemen to their 
shirts and trousers, the children to their pinafores and 
nothing else, and I to my beloved Tahitian dresses. 

Before we left England we could not make ourselves 
believe what we were told about heat in the tropics ; so 
we started with very few windsails and without any pun- 
kahs or double awnings. It was all very well in the At- 
lantic or Pacific, but between Hongkong and Singapore 
the state of things became simply unbearable. The car- 
penter has rigged up a punkah, and the men have impro- 
vised some double awnings. At Colombo they made 
some windsails, so we are now better off than on our last 
hot voyage. It has been really hotter than ever to-day, 
but a pleasant breeze sprang up in the afternoon. 

Sunday, April Stk. — A delightful fresh morning after 
a cool night. Everybody looks quite different, and we 
begin to hope we shall carry the north-east monsoon right 



4i6 COSMOPOLITAN SERVANTS. 

across, which would be an exceptional piece of good for- 
tune. We had service in the saloon at eleven o'clock and 
at four, and though there was an unusually full attend- 
ance it was cool and pleasant even without the punkah. 
The thermometer registers nearly the same as it did on 
Friday, when we were all dead with the heat. The ap- 
parently nice cool breeze that refreshes our heated bodies 
does not produce any corresponding effect on the glassy 
surface of the ocean ; for we find to-day, as on previous 
occasions, that the temperature, both of the water and 
of the air, registered by the thermometer, does not by any 
means correspond with the effect on the human frame. 

The two Chinese servants we shipped at Hongkong 
are a great success, as every one on board agrees. Even 
the old sailing-master is obliged to confess that the two 
' heathen Chinee ' keep the mess-rooms, ships' officers' and 
servants' berths much cleaner and more comfortable than 
his own sailors ever succeeded in doing. At Galle we 
shipped three black firemen, two from Bombay and one 
from Mozambique, a regular nigger, with his black woolly 
hair clipped into the shape of Prince of Wales feathers. 
Their names are Mehemet, Abraham, and Tom Dollar. 
They live in a little tent we have had pitched for them 
on deck, cook their own food, and do their work in the 
engine-room exceedingly well. In the intervals they are 
highly amused with the children's picture books. The 
picture of the durbar at Delhi delighted them, especially 
as they recognized the figures, and learned a little English 
through them. They can say a few words already, and 
have told me all about their wives and children at Mo- 
zambique and Bombay, and have shown me the presents 
they are taking home to them. They have been nearly a 
year on board the P. and O. steamship ' Poonah,' and ap- 
pear to have saved nearly all their earnings. I do not 
suppose our own men could have stood the fearful heat 
below in the engine-room for many days together, so it 
was fortunate we met with these amiable salamanders. 



HOW WE MISSED THE ICE. 417 

Monday, April Qth. — No wind. We passed through a 
large shoal of porpoises, and at dusk we saw the light of 
a distant ship. At all the places we have recently visited 
we have found excellent ice-making machines, and have 
been able to get a sufficient supply to last us from port 
to port, which has been a great comfort. The machine 
at Colombo unfortunately broke down the day before 
we left, so that in the very hottest part of our voyage 
Ave have had to do without our accustomed luxury ; and 
very much we miss it, not only for cooling our drinks, 
but for keeping provisions, &c. As it is, a sheep killed 
overnight is not good for dinner next day ; butter is just 
like oil, and to-day in opening a drawer my fingers 
touched a sticky mess ; I looked and discovered six sticks 
of sealing-wax running slowly about in a state resembling 
treacle. 

Wedfiesday, April nth. — Hotter than ever. "We could 
see a steamer in the far distance. About sunset we 
passed through a shoal of flying-fish ; the night was in- 
tensely hot, and everybody slept on deck. 

Friday, April 13th. — At 6 a.m. we made the island of 
Sokotra, and about seven o'clock saw ' The Brothers,' two 
islands where large quantities of turtle and ambergris are 
found. Though generally uninhabited, they are some- 
times visited by the natives for the purpose of collecting 
articles of commerce. 

One of our large pigs took it into his head to jump 
overboard to-day. The helm was put round as quickly 
as possible, but the most anxious spying could not dis- 
cover any trace of poor piggy's whereabouts ; so we pro- 
ceeded on our original course for a few minutes, when 
suddenly, to our great astonishment, we saw him along- 
side, having been nearly run down, but still gallantly 
swimming along. The dinghy was lowered and two men 
sent in pursuit. They had, however, no easy task before 
them, for as soon as they approached, piggy swam away 
faster than they could row, and bit and fought most furi- 
27 



4 i8 A FURIOUS PIG. 

ously when they tried to get him into the boat. It was 
a good half-hour's work before he was secured, yet when 
he arrived he did not appear to be in the least exhausted 
by his long swim, but bit and barked at everybody so 
furiously that he was condemned to death, to prevent 
the possibility of further accidents. It is quite clear from 
the foregoing incident that some pigs can swim, and swim 
very well too, without cutting their own throats in the 
process. 

All the afternoon a large steamer had been gradually 
gaining on us. We exchanged signals and made out 
that she was the ' Calypso ' (?) of Glasgow. About half- 
past five she altered her course and came alongside to 
speak us. The fore-deck was crowded with the crews. 
On the bridge were many of the officers; and sitting 
bolt upright on a stool, ' looking out forward ' in the 
most amusing manner, was the captain's little Skye ter- 
rier. The stern was crowded with passengers, of every 
shade of color. To our surprise a voice from among 
them shouted out ' Three cheers for Mr. Brassey ! ' which 
was responded to by ringing shouts from all on board, 
and taken up again by some of our own men. It was a 
very pleasant and unexpected greeting to hear in the 
middle of the Indian Ocean. The ship soon drew ahead 
again, but handkerchiefs and caps were waved till their 
owners faded away into the distance. Meeting and pass- 
ing thousands of people as you at home do daily, you 
can hardly understand the excitement a little incident 
like this causes on board ship, where even a distant sail 
in these lonely oceans makes everybody leave his occu- 
pation and crowd to look at her. Soon after sunset we 
saw the island of Abd-al-Kuri, with its fantastic peaks, 
melting into orange, gold, and purple tints, beneath the 
gorgeous Arabian afterglow. 

Saturday, April 14th. — We made Cape Rasalhir, for- 
merly called Guardafui, about nine o'clock yesterday 
evening, and passing it during the night entered the 



THE ROCK OF ADEN. 



419 



Gulf of Aden.* All to-day we have been going along 
the Somali coast. There is a good deal of trade carried 
on in native boats. Passing all these strange and com- 
paratively unknown and little-visited islands and coasts, 
from which all sorts of things in daily use at home are 
brought, one dimly realizes what commerce means, and 
how necessary one part of the world is to the other. 

Sunday, April i^th. — Still intensely hot. The usual 
services were held on deck at eleven and four o'clock. 
The land, both in Arabia and in Africa, could be seen the 
whole day, with precipitous mountains. In the afternoon 
we could make out the rock of Aden, and at sunset it 
stood grandly forth, looming in purple darkness against 
the crimson and blood-red sky, which gradually faded 
to tenderest tints of yellow and green, before it finally 
blazed forth into a radiant afterglow. At half-past eight 
a gun from the fort at Aden summoned us to shoAv our 
colors, or rather lights. At nine o'clock we dropped our 
anchor in the roads ; a boat came off with a bag of news- 
papers and to ask for orders in the morning. It was sent 
by the great Parsee merchants here, who undertake to 
supply us with coals, provisions, water, and everything 
we want, and spare us all trouble. For the last three or 
four days we have had a nice little breeze astern, and if 
we had not been in a hurry to cross the Indian Ocean 
before the south-west monsoon set in, we should certainly 
have been contented with four or five knots an hour un- 
der sail instead of eight and a half under steam. We 
have averaged over 200 miles a day under steam alone, 
ever since we left Penang, and have burned only four tons 
of coal for every fifty miles. 

Monday, April 16th. — At 1.30 a.m. I heard the signal 
gun fired, and shortly afterwards a great splash of boats 

*We found considerable difficulty in making the light, and since 
our return there have been several wrecks, and many lives lost, on 
this dangerous point. 



420 



A PARSEE MERCHANT. 



and oars, and a vast chattering and shouting of tongues, 
announced the arrival of a P. and 0. steamer. She 
dropped her anchor just outside us, so we had the benefit 
of the noise all night. I got up at daylight and found 
the pilot just coming off. He took us to a buoy, a little 
closer in, and soon the business of coaling and watering 
commenced. 

We reached the shore about 7.30, and, landing at the 
pier, had our first near view of the natives, who are most 
curious-looking creatures. They have very black com- 
plexions, and long woolly hair, setting out like a mop all 
round, and generally dyed bright red, or yellow by the 
application of lime. Mr. Cowajee had sent his own pri- 
vate carriage to meet us. It was a comfortable open 
barouche, with a pair of nice horses, and two servants in 
Eastern liveries, green vests and full trousers, and red and 
orange turbans. We went first to his store, which seemed 
to be an emporium for every conceivable article. There 
was carved sandal-wood, and embroidered shawls from 
China, Surat, and Gujerat, work from India, English 
medicines, French lamps, Swiss clocks, German toys, Rus- 
sian caviare, Greek lace, Havana cigars, American hides 
and canned fruits, besides many other things. The feath- 
ers did not look very tempting ; there was a great deal of 
feather and very little stem about most of them, and only 
a few were white, the majority being a pretty sort of 
brown and drab. But this general store is only a very 
small part of their business, for about 60,000 tons of coal 
pass through their hands every year. 

We went on to the Hotel de l'Europe, which was by 
no means in first-rate order, but allowances must be made 
for a new house. A delightful breeze was blowing in 
through the open windows, and although the thermome- 
ter registered 85 ° in the dining-room, it did not seem at 
all hot. The view over the bay is very pretty, and the 
scene on shore thoroughly Arabian, with the donkeys and 
camels patiently carrying their heavy loads, guided by the 



THE TANKS. 



421 



true Bedaween of the desert, and people of all tinges of 
complexion, from jet black to pale copper-color. A pair 
of tame ostriches, at least seven feet high, were strolling 
about the roadway, and a gazelle, some monkeys, parrots, 
and birds lived happily together beneath a broad veran- 
da. "After a little while we went for a drive to see the 
camp and town of Aden, which is four or five miles from 
the Point where everybody lands. On the way we met 
trains of heavily-laden camels bringing in wood, water, 
grain, and fodder, for garrison consumption, and coffee 
and spices for exportation. After driving for about four 
miles we reached a gallery pierced through the rock, which 
admits you into the precincts of the fort. The entrance 
is very narrow, the sides precipitous, and the place appar- 
ently impregnable. We went all through the town, or 
rather towns, past the Arab village, the Sepoy barracks, 
and the European barracks, to the water tanks, stupen- 
dous works carved out of the solid rock, but until lately 
comparatively neglected, the residents depending entirely 
on distillation for their supply of water. There is a pretty 
little garden at the foot of the lowest tank, but the heat 
was intense in the bottom of the deep valley amongst the 
rocks, where every sun-ray seemed to be collected and 
reflected from the white glaring limestone, and every 
breath of air to be excluded. We saw a little more of 
the town and the market crowded with camels, the shops 
full of lion, leopard, arid hyaena skins. We went to the 
officers' mess -house, visited the Protestant and Roman 
Catholic churches and the Mohammedan mosque, and 
then passing through two long tunnels, bored and blasted 
in the solid rock, we looked over the fortifications. Fi- 
nally we returned to the Point again, by way of the 
Isthmus, and went to Government House, which gets a 
fresh breeze from every quarter. They say that to-day is 
hotter than usual, but it is never really very oppressive 
here unless there is an exceptionally hot wind blowing 
from the desert, but even that is partially cooled before 



422 BEAUTIFUL EFFECTS. 

it arrives. To us it appears delightful after our sultry- 
voyage and the heat at Penang and Singapore. 

We were all agreeably disappointed with Aden, and 
find that it is by no means the oven we expected ; it is 
prettier, too, than I thought, the mountains and rocks are 
so peaked and pointed, and although the general effect is 
one of barrenness, still, if you look closely, every crack and 
crevice is full of something green. The soil, being of vol- 
canic origin, is readily fertilized by moisture, and at once 
produces some kind of vegetation. This adds of course 
greatly to the effect of color, which in the rocks them- 
selves is extremely beautiful, especially at sunrise and 
sunset. The sea, too, is delightfully blue on one side of 
the peninsula, and pale green on the other, according to 
the wind, and the white surf curls and breaks on the 
sandy shore beyond the crisp waves. 

We went back to the hotel a little before one, and 
found many friends had called during our absence. After 
superintending the children's dinner, I went with Tom to 
luncheon at Government House. It was very pleasant ; 
General and Mrs. Sneider were more than kind, and the 
house felt deliciously cool and airy. 

We are told that thirty miles inland the country is 
sometimes very beautiful. There are exquisitely green 
valleys, with a stream running through them, amongst 
peaks and rocky mountains, which one rarely sees in the 
desert. Here the natives cultivate their crops of corn — 
such corn as it is too, reaching six feet above a man's 
head ! All sorts of useful vegetables grow abundantly, 
besides roses, fruits, and fragrant flowers, large supplies 
of which are brought daily into Aden. About ten miles 
from the town there are acres of the most fertile garden 
ground, which is cultivated to supply the garrison with 
vegetables. Sometimes a party of seventy or eighty men, 
and ten or twenty Arab guides, goes out for three 
weeks or a month at a time surveying. The natives are 
much more friendly than they used to be a few years ago, 



OSTRICH FEA TITERS. 



423 



when people were afraid even to ride outside the town. 
Now, pleasant excursions lasting a few days may be made, 
especially as there is very fair shooting to be got. After 
luncheon I was shown some lovely feathers. The con- 
trast between these and the steamer-feathers is ludicrous ; 
the price, too, is proportionately cheaper, for the feathers 
are infinitely better. Long, white, full, and curly feathers 
can be bought for much less than you give for them in 
England. We drove down to the town, finished our busi- 
ness transactions, and then went in the ' Vestal's ' steam 
launch on board the ' Gamma,' one of the new Chinese 
gunboats on her way out to China. 

After afternoon tea we all adjourned to the ' Sun- 
beam,' where we found many other friends already arrived 
or arriving. We had only just time to look round before 
the sun set, and the short twilight was succeeded by the 
swift tropical darkness. All too soon good-by had to be 
said ; the anchor was raised, and we were actually drift- 
ing slowly along under our head canvas before our friends 
took their departure. It was a lovely evening, with a 
light fair breeze, and although there appeared hardly any 
wind, it was wonderful how swiftly we crept out of the 
harbor, and, as sail after sail was spread, how rapidly we 
glided past the land. 

Our visit to Aden has been short but very agreeable ; 
it is not by any means such a dreadful place as we had 
always fancied. Most of the people we have seen to-day 
seem rather to like it ; there is good boating, excellent 
sea fishing, moderate shooting, and many rides and ex- 
cursions. A vehicle of some sort is an absolute necessity, 
however, if you want to see anything of your friends, for 
the three divisions of the settlement are at least four 
miles apart, and the heat is far too great for driving or 
riding in the middle of the day, except on business. I 
cannot say, however, that we ourselves found it intolera- 
bly hot to-day. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

TO SUEZ. 

Round the decay 
Of that colossal wreck ; boundless and bare 
The lone and level sands stretch far away. 

Tuesday, April ijth. — The breeze still continued and 
freshened, and we sailed along pleasantly before it, finding 
it a great relief to be rid of the thud and beat of the 
engine. There is no vibration, but the noise is unpleasant. 
About eleven o'clock we passed the island of Perim, a most 
desolate-looking place. I do not wonder that officers so 
much dislike being quartered there. It is an important 
position though, and is shortly to be strengthened, when 
water-tanks will be built, and attempts made to cultivate 
the soil. At present there does not appear to be a blade 
of vegetation, and on the side we passed, between the 
island and the coast of Arabia, nothing is to be seen but 
the little white lighthouse and the path leading up to it. 
On the southern side there is a very fair harbor and a 
moderate town. On the shore all round the island turtles 
are caught at the season when they land to deposit their 
eggs. To pass the island of Perim we sailed through the 
Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, or ' Gate of Tears,' thus called 
on account of the numerous wrecks which took place there 
in former years. Once through the straits, we were fairly 
in the Red Sea. The color of the Red Sea is certainly 
the bluest of ultramarines. In the afternoon the town of 
Mocha Yamen, celebrated alike for its breed of Arab 
horses and its coffee, was visible from the masthead. It 
is a large white town, full of cupolas and minarets, sur- 

424 



JEBEL TEIR, 425 

rounded with green as far as irrigation extends, and look- 
ing like a pearl set in emeralds on the margin of the deep 
blue sea against a background of red and yellow sand- 
mountains. Later in the afternoon we passed Great and 
Little Hamish, where the P. and O. boat, ' Alma,' was 
wrecked some fifteen years ago, and during the night sailed 
by Jebel Zibayar and Tukar. 

Wednesday, April iSlk. — In the morning, at daylight, 
we were off Jebel Teir, Mussawa Island, Annesley Bay 
lying 60 miles to the west. Our position was about 60 
miles to the south-west of Mussawa Zoulia, where the ex- 
pedition under Lord Napier of Magdala landed in 1867. 
At noon we had sailed 221 miles, a most unexpected run 
in the Red Sea. In the afternoon it fell calm, but the 
wind freshened again, and we went on sailing until after 
midnight. 

Thursday, April igtk. — We commenced steaming at 
1 a.m., stopped, however, at 5 a.m., and sailed all day. 
Yesterday we were surrounded by some beautiful blue 
birds, who hovered about us and settled at intervals on 
the masts and yards. During the night two were caught 
napping by the men, and in the course of to-day two 
more, hotly pursued by a hawk, took refuge on board and 
were also captured. One was given to me. It appears 
to be a very beautiful kind of jay, with feathers of the 
most brilliant shades of blue. The men have killed their 
birds for the sake of the skins, but I mean to try and keep 
mine alive. At Colombo several birds and two curiously 
starred tortoises were added to our collection ; and we 
took on board at Aden a gazelle, a black cockatoo, and a 
green monkey. 

We passed Souakim to-day, the port of Nubia. It is 
about 275 miles, or 25 days' camel-journey, from thence to 
Berber on the Nile. The road passes through Korib, and 
among fine red granite and black basalt mountings, 4,000 
feet high. We left one of the firemen, Tom Dollar, be- 
hind at Aden by mistake, and only found out yesterday 



426 MURIEL'S BIRTHDAY. 

that we had done so. It appears that he has a brother 
living there, whom he was most anxious to go and see 
directly the anchor was let go, in the morning. Unfortu- 
nately, he did not speak to us on the subject. He had 
never been in anything but a regular steamer before, and 
could not believe it possible that the ' Sunbeam ' could 
spread her wings and be off without any preliminary 
'fire-worshiping.' I am very sorry for the poor man, as 
he has left all his clothes and the wages he had earned on 
board the P. and O. steamer behind him. We must send 
them back from Suez, and telegraph to some one to look 
out for him. The heat is intense, and we all sleep on 
deck at night ; the sunrises and sunsets are magnificent. 

Friday, April 20th. — A little hotter still ; there is no 
wind at all, and we are obliged to steam. In the morning 
we passed to the southward of Jeddo, the port of Mecca. 
Unfortunately it was so hazy that we could not distinguish 
anything whatever of the town or country, only a line of 
mountains rearing their heads above the clouds. We had 
hoped to be at Suez early on Sunday, but now I fear we 
shall not arrive until Monday. 

Saturday, April 21st. — Hotter and still hotter every 
day, says the thermometer, and so we say also. Every- 
body told us these would be our two hottest days, and 
certainly the prediction has been verified. We did not 
see a single ship all" day, but in the afternoon passed 
Zambo, the port of Medina. A little before midnight 
we made the light on the Daedalus shoal on the starboard 
bow. 

This being Muriel's fifth birthday, Mabelle and the 
Doctor and the men have been arranging a surprise for 
her all day, and none of us were allowed to go on the 
port side of the deck, but after dinner we were taken to 
a hastily fitted-up theater, very prettily decorated with 
flags and Japanese lanterns. On a throne covered with 
the Union-Jack, Muriel was seated, the two pugs being 
on footstools on either side of her to represent lions 



A CHANGE OF CLIMATE. 



427 



couchant. Some of the men had blackened their faces, 
and gave us a really very excellent Christy Minstrel en- 
tertainment, in which undreamed-of talent came to light. 
It is very odd and interesting how one is perpetually 
finding.out something new about the men. Some of the 
crew we thought the most unpromising when we started, 
have turned out among our best men, always ready and 
willing for everything, while others, who at first appeared 
the best, have not proved so good. Many we knew well 
beforehand. On the whole, however, we have very lit- 
tle cause to complain of our crew ; all pull well together 
when they are kept up to their work and have plenty 
to do. 

Sunday, April 22d. — Clouds veiled the sunrise this 
morning, which was a welcome relief ; still it was too hot 
for service in the saloon, and it was therefore held on 
deck. A light breeze sprang up ahead during its per- 
formance, which cooled and refreshed us immensely. 
About twelve o'clock we passed another pair of ' Brothers,' 
a couple of odd-looking rocks or islands, like tables, rising 
straight out of the sea; there is a beacon on the north- 
ernmost one. While we were at lunch, the breeze fresh- 
ened so much that we were all glad to add some wraps to 
our light and airy costumes. A little later, a summer gale 
was blowing ahead, making some of us feel very uncom- 
fortable and long for the halycon days of the past, even 
with the accompaniment of the inevitable heat. Such is 
mankind, and womankind too for that matter, ' never 
blessed, but always to be blessed.' The gale freshened, 
the screw was raised, the yacht pitched and rolled, and 
we were obliged to put her off her course and under sail 
before night fell. The spray came over the decks, and 
there was a strong wind dead ahead. We all felt cold and 
miserable, though the thermometer still registered 75 . 
The poor monkeys and parrots looked most wretched and 
unhappy, and had to be packed away as speedily as pos- 
sible. Nine monkeys in an empty wine case seemed very 



428 ISLAND OF SHADUAN. 

happy and cuddled together for warmth, but the two 
larger and more aristocratic members of the party re- 
quired a box to themselves. The gazelle had a little tent 
pitched for him specially in a sheltered corner, and the 
birds were all stowed away and battened over in the 
smoking fiddle. Dinner was rather a lame pretense, and 
it was not long before we all retired, and certainly no one 
wished to take his or her mattress on deck to-night. It is 
the first night I have slept in a bed on board the yacht 
for many weeks, and a very disturbed night it was, for the 
waves ran high, and we have lately been sailing so steadily 
over smooth seas, that we did not know what to make of 
this. 

Monday, April 23d. — The gale blew as hard as ever, 
and quite as dead ahead. About noon we made the 
island of Shaduan, or isle of Seals, so named by the an- 
cients, when the sea and gulf abounded with seals. There 
are still a few occasionally to be seen to the northward by 
the fishermen, and their skins are brought to Suez for 
sale. We are making tacks backwards and forwards 
across the narrow sea, an exciting amusement for a yachts- 
man, as it requires constant attention. The sailing direc- 
tions say that this sea is ill surveyed, except in the direct 
channel. There are many coral reefs and sunken rocks, 
and on whichever side you may happen to be wrecked, 
the natives are ready to rob, ill-treat, and kill you, or sell 
you as slaves in the interior. It was on two projecting 
coral reefs from the island of Shaduan that the ' Carnatic ' 
was wrecked in 1869. She ran ashore at four o'clock in 
the morning of the 13th of September, soon after having 
made the light on Rhas Garril. We were at Suez in Oc- 
tober of the same year, and everybody was then full of 
the sad particulars of the wreck, the soldiers being espe- 
cially useful in bringing in the passengers' luggage, which 
had been recovered from the Arabs. One of our firemen, 
Abraham, was on board the ' Carnatic ' at the time of 
the disaster, and lost all his worldly goods (not many, I 



MOUNT SINAI. 429 

should think, judging by what he has brought on board 
here). 

The sea was very rough and disagreeable all day. To 
us the temperature appears quite cool, indeed cold, though 
the thermometer still remains at 75 . Our friends at 
Aden, who prophesied that I should want my sealskin 
jacket before leaving the Gulf of Suez, were not so far 
wrong in their prognostications as I imagined at the 
time. 

Tuesday, April 2^th. — We are still beating to wind- 
ward against a head gale, and by noon had made sixty- 
five miles to the good, right in the wind's eye — not a bad 
performance, considering that the gale was blowing with a 
force of nine or ten. It has the merit of novelty too, for 
I suppose that for years no sailing ships have been seen 
in the Gulf of Suez. The winds blow so steadily for 
months together, that for six months in the year you can- 
not get into the Red Sea, and for the other six months 
you cannot get out of it. 

We passed the island of Rhas Garril, and soon after- 
wards a steamer went by, altering her course a good deal 
to inspect us. She evidently thought we were a broken- 
down steamer, and intended to come to our rescue. All 
yesterday and to-day we have been making flannel coats 
for the monkeys, and covers for bird-cages, and improvis- 
ing shelters and snug corners for our pets. At night es- 
pecially the wind is quite crisp. If this gale continues, it 
will be Thursday or Friday before we reach Suez ; but it 
may possibly change to-night, and it looks now as if it 
were^ breaking. 

Wednesday, April 2$th. — At last the gale has broken. 
There was not much wind when I went on deck at 4 a.m., 
and by seven o'clock it was so nearly calm that the fun- 
nel could be raised and fires lighted, and we were soon 
steaming straight for our destination. We could not see 
Mount Sinai on account of the mist, but made out the 
place where the Israelites are said to have crossed the 



43° 



COTTON GOODS DETERIORATING. 



Red Sea, and by four o'clock the town of Suez lay right 
ahead. The shores are very barren, not a blade of grass 
nor a scrap of vegetation being visible. Nothing is to 
be seen save mountain peaks, rocks, stones, and sand. 
But even this barren scene has a special beauty of its 
own, particularly at sunrise and sunset. The shapes of 
mountain and rock are alike striking, the sharp shadows 
are lovely, and the contrast of reds, yellows, and browns, 
with the bright blue sea and crisp white waves, is very 
beautiful. Even when the sun has set, and the rich tints 
have faded away, the full moon adds another charm to 
the landscape. 

This afternoon, as we were steaming up towards Suez, 
I had a chat with Mehemet, one of our Indian firemen, 
who was fringing a piece of muslin for a turban. I asked 
him if it was English. ' No, Missy ; no English — Switzer- 
land ; English no good ; all gum and sticky stuff ; make 
fingers dirty ; all wash out ; leave nothing.' In the South 
Sea and Sandwich Islands, and in the Malay Peninsula, 
the natives make the same complaints as to the Manches- 
ter cottons. At Hongkong some of the large shops had 
fifty expensive English ships' compasses on hand ; they 
were all quite unsalable owing to the liquid having gone 
bad, in consequence of its not having been properly pre- 
pared. Some American compasses of the same quality 
were in good order and not in the least affected by the 
climate. It will be a bad day when the confidence in Eng- 
land's honesty as a nation throughout the world, and con- 
sequently her well-earned supremacy in commerce, have 
passed away. The burden, unfortunately, will not fall on 
the heads of the offenders alone, but, as usual, the inno- 
cent will suffer with and for the guilty. 

After four o'clock we came near two steamers lying at 
anchor, and were shortly afterwards boarded by the cap- 
tain of the port, the health officer, and sundry other func- 
tionaries. After a short delay we dropped anchor, and 
just as the sun was setting in ' purple and gold ' behind 






A DESERT WIND. 



43 1 



the mountains of Arabia, we went ashore in the steam 
launch. We landed at the Canal Company's Office, in 
front of which there is a bust of Lieutenant Waghorn, 
the inaugurator of the overland route. 

At the office, the ' Sunbeam ' was entered on the Com- 
pany's books, and arrangements were made with the chief 
pilot for to-morrow, while the children amused themselves 
by riding a pony up and down, and jumping over the 
little brooks, and I strolled about admiring the enormous 
growth of the vegetation since we were here last in 1869. 
We next steamed five miles farther on to the town of 
Suez, and landed opposite the big hotel, which is more 
uncomfortable than ever. The rooms are dirty, and the 
cooking execrable. 

There is nothing to see at Suez, but still we went for 
a ramble to see that nothing. We cleared our boxes and 
our letters, and then went on ankle deep in sand to the 
one European house, the railway station, the Arab quar- 
ter and the bazaars, where it is occasionally possible to 
pick up rather interesting little curiosities brought by the 
pilgrims from Mecca and Medina. 

Thursday, April 26th. — Such a sunrise as this morn- 
ing's you could only see in Arabia or Egypt. There is a 
peculiarity about desert coloring at sunrise and sunset that 
can never be seen anywhere else. We had sundry visitors 
during the early morning, and before ten o'clock we were 
in the Canal and steaming on at regulation speed. As the 
sun rose the heat became intense, g6° in the shade under 
double awnings. So far from there being a cool breeze to 
temper it, a hot wind blew from the desert, like the blast 
from a furnace. I stood on the bridge as long as I could 
bear the heat, to look at the strange desert view, which 
could be seen to great advantage in going through at the 
top of high water. Sand, sand everywhere ; here a train 
of camels, there a few Arab tents, now a whole party 
shifting their place of abode ; a group of women washing, 
or a drove of buffaloes in a small tributary stream. After 



43 2 



THE SUEZ CANAL. 



going about eight miles we stopped at a gare (as the stop- 
ping-places are called) to allow three vessels to pass. One 
was a fine steamer belonging to the Ducal Line ; the 
others were a Dutch and a German boat (one, the ' Fries- 
land,' has been since wrecked off Cape Finisterre, in De- 
cember, 1877). The cleanliness and general smartness of 
the former presented a great contrast to her companions, 
on which the passengers looked very hot and uncomforta- 
ble. The center part of each vessel was crowded with a 
large number of Dutch or German boys, going out as 
soldiers to Acheen, who certainly did not appear to be 
enjoying their voyage. 

We passed Chaloux and reached Ismailia just at nine 
o'clock, not without considerable effort on the part of 
the pilot. A steam launch came off from the shore, and 
we (children and all) landed at once ; and, after a moon- 
light donkey-ride, dined at the excellent Hotel de Paris, 
kept by an old Frenchman. Table-d Iwte was over, but 
they gave us a capital little dinner by ourselves. The 
children and I, and some of the gentlemen, start to-mor- 
row, overland via Cairo, to join the yacht at Alexandria, 
in order that they may see the Pyramids. It was a glo- 
rious night as we rowed off to the yacht under the bright 
beams of the full moon, and the air, too, was quite fresh 
and cool — a most refreshing change from the noontide 
heat. 

The traffic on the Canal has increased during the last 
few years, and especially during the last few months ; on 
an average four or five ships pass through every day. 
To-day they took ,£6,000 at the Suez office alone. They 
have an excellent plan of the Canal there, and little 
models of ships, which are arranged according to the tele- 
grams constantly received, so that the chief officers at 
each end of the Canal know exactly where every ship is. 
Instant information is of course sent of any stoppage 
or any accident, but these occur comparatively seldom. 
Some time ago M. Lesseps bought a small canal partially 



CHANGES EFFECTED BY IRRIGATION. 433 

stopped up leading from the Nile at Cairo to Ismailia. 
It has been widened and deepened, and was opened a few 
weeks ago with great ceremony and grand doings. Now 
any vessel not drawing more than fourteen feet can go 
direct from Suez or Port Said to Cairo. If. we had had 
time, we might have done it in the yacht, and lain at 
anchor almost under the shadow of the Pyramids of 
Cheops. The special object of the new canal is to make 
Cairo and Ismailia Egyptian ports as well as Alexandria, 
thereby saving much land carriage and labor of shifting. 
Already several ships laden with grain, from Upper Egypt, 
have availed themselves of this new means of communi- 
cation. 

Friday, April 2jth. — Another glorious sunrise. The 
pilot was on board at 5 a.m., and the Dhebash with fish, 
strawberries and fresh vegetables. This is a beautiful 
climate, though there is scarcely any rain ; only one very 
slight shower has occurred during the last three years at 
Suez, but the soil of the desert after the Nile overflow 
brings forth tenfold. 

The ' Sunbeam ' was to start at eight o'clock, as soon 
as a large vessel had passed up from Port Said. There 
are only certain places in the Canal where vessels can pass 
one another, so one ship is always obliged to wait for 
another. We landed at half-past seven. The sun was 
already blazing with a burning fury, and we found it very 
hot riding up to the hotel on donkeys. We had an excel- 
lent breakfast at the same comfortable hotel, paid a very 
moderate bill, and left by the eleven o'clock train for 
Cairo. We stopped at Zag-a-zig for an hour for luncheon 
in a nice cool dark room, and started again about three 
o'clock. The change in the face of the country since we 
were here eight years ago is something extraordinary. 
Avast desert of sand has been transformed into one large 
oasis of undulating fields of waving corn, where there 
used to be nothing but whirlwinds of sand. All this has 
been effected by irrigation. The wealth of Egypt ought 
28 



434 



CAIRO. 



greatly to increase. How the people managed to live 
before is a mystery. Now every field is full of laborers 
reaping and stacking the corn, women gleaning, and in 
some places the patient, ugly, black buffaloes plowing 
the stubble for fresh crops. 

At half-past six we reached Cairo, and were conveyed 
in a large cliar-a-bancs to what was formerly Shepherd's 
Hotel, now partly rebuilt and much altered for the bet- 
ter. Even in that short drive we could see that the face 
of the capital of Egypt had altered as much as the coun- 
try, though I am not sure that it is so greatly improved. 
After a refreshing dip in cool marble baths and a change of 
garments, we went down to the large tablc-d Jiote. Then 
we sat in the veranda looking on the street until we became 
tired of doing nothing, after which we started for a stroll 
in the Ezkebieh gardens close by. They are beautifully 
laid out for evening promenade ; but although the flowers 
are lovely, and the turf, thanks to constant waterings, is 
deliciously green, all the large trees have been cut down. 
There is no seclusion, no shade, which seems a pity in a 
country where the greatest desire of life is shelter from 
the noonday heat. To-night both Arab and French bands 
were playing within the inclosure, and it was pleasant 
enough listening to Offenbach's music under the beams of 
the full moonlight. Few people appeared to appreciate 
it, however, for the gardens were nearly empty ; but then 
the season is over, and every one has fled before the com- 
ing heat. 

Saturday, April 2Stk. — We had settled to start at six 
o'clock this morning to visit the Pyramids, an excursion 
which had been for some little time eagerly looked for- 
ward to and talked about by the younger members of our 
party. The morning was cold and gray, a strong northerly 
wind was blowing, and the change from the weather which 
had prevailed but a few hours previously was altogether 
most striking and unexpected. We drove rapidly through 
the streets and the outskirts of the town, where old houses 






THE PYRAMIDS. 



435 



are being pulled down and new ones rapidly built up, and 
where a general air of new bricks and old rubbish per- 
vades the scene. Then we crossed the Nile by a hand- 
some iron bridge, and saw the Palace of Gezireh, where 
the Prince of- Wales and his suite were lodged. We 
passed the railway extension works, and, to the great de- 
light of the children, saw two elephants busily employed, 
one of which was being made to lie. down to enable his 
mahout to dismount. Soon the little ones gave a shout 
of ' The Pyramids ! ' and there before us stood those grand 
monuments of a nameless founder, which for centuries have 
stood out in the sands of the desert, while the burning Af- 
rican sun and the glorious African moon have risen and set 
on their heavenward-pointing summits for countless days 
and nights. Even the earth has changed her position so 
much since they were erected that the pole star no longer 
sheds its light in a direct line through the central pas- 
sages, as it did when first they were designed. 

We drove along under avenues of now leafless trees to 
the foot of the hill on which the Pyramids are situated. 
Here everybody was turned out to walk except Muriel 
and me, and a tremendous tug the horses had to drag 
even us two up to the real foot of the Pyramids. On ar- 
riving we were at once surrounded by a crowd of Arabs. 
They are certainly a fine-looking lot of men, rather clam- 
orous for backshish, and anxious to sell their curiosi- 
ties, real or imitation. They were, however, good-natured, 
civil, and obliging, and amused me much during the 
hour I spent alone with them while the rest of the party 
were ascending and descending the Pyramids. Many 
could speak several languages quite fluently, and almost 
all of them took a good deal of interest in the war, and 
the prospects of success on either side; while many had a 
fair knowledge of the geography of Europe. While all 
the rest were on the top of the one large Pyramid, a man 
ran down from the summit and up to the top of the next 
smaller one (which is, however, more difficult to ascend) 



436 THE BAZAARS. 

in ' eight minutes for a franc' This feat was repeated 
several times by different men, but it really occupied 
nearer ten minutes. 

We ate some bread and wine, bought a few curiosities, 
and then drove back to the city, feeling very cold and 
shivery, and regretting the wraps we had left behind. 
We reached the hotel just in time for twelve o'clock 
table-d'hote breakfast, and, after an acceptable rest, sallied 
forth again, this time on donkeys, to see the bazaars and 
the sunset from the citadel. We went across squares and 
gardens and through wide streets, for, alas! Cairo is being 
rapidly Haussmannized. For the capitalist or resident 
Cairo may be improved, but for the traveler, the artist, 
the lover of the picturesque, the quaint, and the beauti- 
ful, the place is ruined. Cairo as a beautiful and ancient 
Oriental city has ceased to exist, and is being rapidly 
transformed into a bad imitation of modern Paris, only 
with bluer skies, a more brilliant sun, and a more serene 
climate than it is possible to find in Europe. Only a 
few narrow streets and old houses are still left, with 
carved wooden lattices, where you can yet dream that the 
'Arabian Nights' are true. 

We went to the gold and silver bazaar, and bought 
some quaint silver jewelry from Assouan, Soudan, and 
Abyssinia ; then through the Turkish bazaar, the saddlery 
bazaars, past mosques and old houses, till at length we 
emerged into new squares and new streets, before climb- 
ing the hill to the citadel, the Viceroy's palace, and the 
splendid Mosque of Mehemet Ali, built of Egyptian ala- 
baster. The view from the terrace is superb, over city, 
desert, river, palm-trees, and Pyramids. The sunset this 
evening was a disappointment ; yellow, cold, and watery, 
a strong north wind bringing up all the sand from the 
desert. We returned to the hotel for dinner, and were 
all glad to go early to bed. 

Sunday, April 2gt/i. — The children and I went to the 
English church, a semi-Gothic building, without a single 



HAJ ABDULLAH. 437 

window which could open. Though the church was nearly- 
empty, the air felt like that of an exhausted receiver, and 
made one gasp. In the cool of the afternoon we drove 
through Roulai, where the museum stands, in a beautiful 
garden close by the riverside, amid flowers in full bloom. 

After an early meal (hardly to be called dinner) we 
went to the station, just as all the people were going for 
a drive to Shoubrah in the smartest carriages and the 
prettiest toilets. 

Our journey to Alexandria in the evening was cool 
and pleasant. A huge break met us, and we drove to 
Abbat's Hotel — considerably improved since our last visit 
in 1869. 

Monday, April 30//L — Got up at 5 a.m. After a deli- 
ciously soft but very muddy bath, I went for a donkey 
ride before breakfast with Mabelle. Tom arrived from 
the yacht in time for twelve o'clock breakfast, and an- 
nounced the voyage from Port Said to have been rough 
and unpleasant. 

We called on the Consul, the Vice-Consul, and our old 
friend, Consul Burton of Trieste, Haj Abdullah. He has 
just returned from a journey through the ancient land 
of Midian, undertaken at the special request of the Vice- 
roy. He describes the expedition as having been most 
successful ; the climate is almost perfect from September 
to May; the land is well watered by little streams flowing 
through fertile valleys, and full of fragrant flowers and 
luscious fruits. The corn reaches above the camel-men's 
heads, which means a height of fourteen or fifteen feet. 
But the mineral wealth of the country is its most extraor- 
dinary feature. He found traces of gold in the sand 
of the river-beds, in spots pointed out to him by his 
fellow-pilgrims on the way to Mecca twenty years ago, 
to say nothing of tin, iron, &c. Perhaps the most inter- 
esting part of his discovery was the remains of eight 
ruined cities, with traces in the dry river-beds of stone- 
crushing and gold-seeking apparatus, which must have 



43« 



CLEVER APES. 



been used centuries ago. He is writing a book on the 
subject, which you may perhaps see before you read this. 

The Consul kindly sent a janizary with us to show us 
the Sultan's palace. It is large and bare of furniture ; 
and the general style of decoration is like that of the 
palaces at Cherniga and Dolma Batcher. Thence we 
went to see Pompey's Pillar and Cleopatra's Needle, the 
dahabeas ready to go up the Nile, &c. ; and returned to 
the hotel in time for dinner and a chat afterwards in the 
cool courtyard. 

Tuesday, May \st. — I wrote from 3 a.m. to 6.30 a.m., 
in order to send letters off by the French mail, and at 
seven Mabelle and I sallied forth on donkeys to visit the 
market. There was not much to see, however, everything 
being so crowded and jammed up, meat, fish, vegetables, 
and fruit, all close together. The crowd was amusing, as 
all the European householders had negroes or Arabs fol- 
lowing them, laden with their purchases. We found 
some lovely flowers in a street near the market, and then 
we went on to the big gold and silver bazaar, and to the 
Turkish and Syrian bazaars, where we saw all the spe- 
cialties of Constantinople, and Broussa, Damascus, and 
Jerusalem laid out before us. After breakfast, the antics 
of two enormous apes, who came round on a donkey, ac- 
companied by a showman and a boy, amused the children 
much. They were hideously ugly, but the cleverest mon- 
keys I ever saw. They went through a regular little play, 
quarreled with one another; the man and the boy rode 
the ape, and made him kick; at last the ape was hurt, 
and lay fainting in the man's arms, limp and languid, just 
able to sip a little water ; then he died, and dropped 
down stiff, with his eyes shut. His tail was pulled, his 
lips and eyelids were forced open, but he never winked 
an eyelid or moved a hair of his whiskers. He was 
thrown about from side to side, remaining perfectly 
motionless till, at a sign from his master, he jumped up as 
well as ever, shouldered his gun, and mounted his ass to 



A PLEASANT PARTY 



439 



take his departure. He was promptly ordered to dis- 
mount and ask for backshish, which he did, cap in hand. 
Some of the crowd round about not contributing to his 
master's satisfaction, the ape took a nasty venomous- 
looking little snake out of a bag which he carried over his 
shoulder, and threw it among the by-standers, to their 
great consternation. 

At two o'clock we went to lunch with the Consul, and 
what a pleasant lunch it was, prepared by a French cook, 
and eaten in a cool, airy, and shady room free from flies, 
which were kept out by fine wire gauze placed in front of 
each well-shaded door and window ! The table was one 
mass of the roses for which Alexandria is so famous. 
Everybody had wandered about the world more or less, 
everybody was in good spirits, and we laughed and chatted 
and talked sense or nonsense as the fancy took us, till it 
was time to go on board the yacht en masse, and receive 
some visitors at tea. A few had arrived before us, but 
the children and some others of the party were on board 
and had been doing the honors and showing them round. 
About 5.30 p.m. our last guests departed, and all was 
ready for a start ; but, alas ! we had to wait for an absent 
steward, who had gone in search of the always late linen, 
that plague of the poor yachtsman's life when he has a 
large party on board. The sun was sinking fast, the wind 
was blowing fresh and fair, and if we did not start soon it 
would be impossible to do so at all, and a night's work of 
more than 120 miles would be lost. At last the wel- 
come boat was seen coming from the shore ; we unmoored, 
and went ahead for about an hour. But the light gradu- 
ally faded away ; it became impossible to distinguish the 
beacon ; the sandbanks are numerous, and there are no 
lights. It was only endangering the ship and the lives of 
all on board to proceed ; so the order was reluctantly 
given, ' Hard a-port.' Round she went in her own length 
almost, and very soon we let go the anchor just outside 
our old moorings, and spent the night, after all, in the 
harbor of Alexandria. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

' HOME.' 

She comes, majestic with her szuelling sails, 
The gallant bark along her wateiy way ; 
Homeward she drives before the favor itig gales. 
Now flitting at their length the streamers fly, 
And now they ripple with the ruffling breeze. 

Wednesday, May 2d. — Steam was up at five o'clock, 
the wind being still fair but light. Soon it dropped to a 
calm, and then went round and blew with great force ex- 
actly in the opposite direction, dead ahead. The fires 
had to be put out, for it was so rough we could do no 
good steaming against the gale. The screw kept racing 
round and shaking the vessel terribly. Of course I was 
very ill ; but the maids did not mind, and the children 
rather enjoyed the tumbling about and the water on deck. 
We continued scudding along through the water, but not 
making much progress on our course. 

Thursday, May $d. — The wind kept on increasing, and 
at last blew quite a gale. We have gone a long way out 
of our course to the northward, ready for a favorable 
change, but we can scarcely make any way to the west- 
ward. 

Friday, May \th. — A repetition of yesterday — 

Beating, beating all the day, 
But never a bit ahead. 

Saturday, May %th. — A lull at last, and we are able to 
have the fires lighted and to steam on our course. We 
made the Island of Scarpanto in the morning. All the 

440 



OUR OLD QUARTERS. 44 1 

afternoon and evening we have been steaming along ten 
miles to the southward of Crete. Its outline was very 
beautiful, surmounted by the snow-capped mountains. I 
was up on deck just in time to behold the most lovely 
sunset, with exquisite rosy, purple, and crimson tints on 
sea and sky. 

I have not quite got over my attack in Cairo yet, and 
for the last three days have been completely laid up with 
a various mixture of land illness and sea-sickness. We 
stopped steaming late in the day, but fires were lighted 
again in the middle of the night, as the wind was still 
ahead. There was a discussion whether or not to go 
round the north side of the Island of Kandia, so as to 
have a glimpse of the British Fleet at anchor in Suda Bay, 
if they have already arrived there. 

Sunday, May 6th, and Monday, May Jth. — Early in 
the morning the snowy mountains of Crete were still in 
sight. Service was held as usual at eleven, but it was too 
rough in the afternoon for it to be repeated. 

Sail and steam, wind and calm, alternated with one 
another all day. Tom is anxious to sail every mile he 
can, and yet not to lose any unnecessary time, and finds 
it exceedingly difficult to combine these two objects.. 

Tuesday, May 8th. — A fine morning, with a cold strong 
head breeze. At noon we rejoiced to think that Malta 
was not more than a few miles ahead, or we should assur- 
edly have failed to reach our port before nightfall. About 
three we closed in with the land about Marsa Scirocco 
and Delamara Point, and, after one or two tacks, rounded 
the Point of Ricasole, and leaving Port St. Elmo on our 
right, we swiftly glided into the grand harbor of Valetta. 
We have been here so often that it feels quite like reach- 
ing home. We soon found ourselves in our old quarters 
in the Dockyard Creek, and had scarcely moored before 
one of the officers came on board with the usual compli- 
mentary offers of assistance, whilst directly afterwards 
came an invitation to a farewell ball at the Palace, given 



442 - If. M.S. SULTAN. 

to the Duke of Edinburgh. Our old boatman, Bubbly- 
Joe, took us ashore to dinner, and we found everything 
looking as bright and cheerful and steep as it always does 
and always will do ; not the least bit altered or modern- 
ized. The landlord of the Hotel d'Angleterre was de- 
lighted to see us again, and so were his servants, who 
came flocking from all parts of the house, nearly pulling 
the children to pieces, and plying our own servants with 
questions in their anxiety to know all about us. 

We had to go back on board the yacht to dress, and 
then return for the ball, by which time I was so thor- 
oughly tired, and had so bad a headache, that I could 
not enjoy it much, pleasant as it was. Very soon after 
supper we came away and had a charming row across the 
harbor to our snug quarters on board the ' Sunbeam.' 
These sudden bursts of dissipation on shore are a delight- 
ful change after days and weeks at sea. 

Wednesday, May gth. — I was up soon after sunrise and 
admired this often-abused creek as much as I always do. 
The stone houses, the carved and colored verandas of 
bright flowers, the water lapping the very door-steps, the 
gayly painted boats with their high prows at either end, 
the women in their black dresses and faldettas, and black- 
robed priests, all helped to carry the imagination over the 
Mediterranean and up the Adriatic to lovely Venice. At 
this hour in the morning there were not many English 
soldiers or sailors to spoil the illusion. 

Malta is essentially a border-land — African by geograph- 
ical configuration, European politically, and assuredly 
Asiatic in its language, its buildings, and in the manners 
and customs of the natives. We gave everybody on 
board a holiday, and the chance of a run ashore to-day 
to stretch their legs after their long sea voyage. Tom 
went on board the ' Sultan ' to see the Duke of Edinburgh 
and his splendid ship. Whilst at breakfast I received an 
intimation that the Duke of Edinburgh wished to come 
and examine the yacht. His Royal Highness arrived 



V A LETT A. 



443 



soon afterwards, quite unattended, in a beautiful ten- 
oared barge, and paid us a long visit, inspecting the yacht 
minutely and looking at all the pets. He took a great 
interest in our voyage and courses, as well as in the 
numerous curiosities, knowing at once from what place 
each had been procured. The Duke, who had taken very 
nearly the same cruise himself in the ' Galatea ' a few 
years ago, inquired very kindly after all his old friends at 
Tahiti, Hilo, Honolulu, and many other places. The 
Duke is very kind to everybody here. He is much liked 
by his brother officers in the squadron, and both H.R.H. 
and the Duchess seem to have made themselves most 
popular here during the winter. The officers of the 
' Sultan,' several of whom are old friends of ours, appear 
to think themselves fortunate indeed in having such a 
commanding officer, whilst on shore his approaching de- 
parture is universally regretted. Everybody seems full 
of their Royal Highnesses' winter ball, which must have 
been a most brilliant affair. 

After the Duke's departure we went ashore again, 
called on various friends before luncheon, and went over 
the palace and through the armory. Then we took a walk 
down the Strada Reale, the shopping street of Valetta, 
until it was time to go on board to receive some friends 
to tea. The shops are full of coral, lace, gold and silver 
filigree work, and a new sort of lace they make in Gozo, 
of white silk, in beautiful patterns. It has been manu- 
factured only during the last few years, and varies much 
in quality and design. Some forty or fifty friends came 
on board and amused themselves looking at our curiosi- 
ties and photographs until long past the dinner hour. 
We had to hurry on shore to dine, and go afterwards to 
the Opera Manoel. The new Grand Opera House is not 
to be opened until next October. It had been blowing 
fresh and strong from the westward all day, but to-night, 
as we rowed across the harbor, the breeze had dropped to a 
flat calm, and Tom is most anxious to be off at daybreak. 



444 AN OCEAN HIGHWAY. 

Thursday, May \oth. — I was up before sunrise. A 
fresh fair wind was blowing, and as soon as the children 
could be got ready we all went ashore to the market, 
which was crowded with people, and full of fish, meat, 
and all spring vegetables and fruit. We were to start at 
6.30, so there was no time to lose, and laden with lovely 
bouquets of flowers we hastened on board ; but it was 
nine o'clock, after all our haste, before we were fairly off, 
through some mistake about the bill of health. 

Malta is certainly the most delightful place for yacht- 
ing winter quarters, with its fine healthy harbor, charm- 
ing society, very cheap living, and abundance of every- 
thing good. It is in proximity to many pleasant places, 
and most interesting excursions can easily be made to 
Sicily and Italy, or the coast of Africa. To-day we 
glided along the coast, passed the strongly fortified little 
island of Consino, standing boldly out in mid-channel 
between Malta and Gozo. The Mediterranean appears 
to us a highway after the lonely oceans and seas we have 
been sailing over. Within one hour this morning, we 
saw more ships than in the whole of our passage from 
Valparaiso to Tahiti and Yokohama. Towards the even- 
ing we could see the island of Pantellaria in the distance. 
We retain a lively remembrance of it from having been 
becalmed just off it in the ' Albatross ' for three weary 
days and nights. It was after this and a long series of 
other vexations and delays that Tom and I registered a 
vow never to go a long voyage again in a yacht without 
at least auxiliary steam power. 

Friday, May nth. — At 2.30 a.m. Pantellaria was abeam. 
At five the homeward-bound P. and 0. steamer passed 
us quite close, and at six we met the outward-bound P. 
and O. steamer. At eight we passed Cape Bon and sailed 
across the mouth of the Bay of Tunis, in the center of 
which is Goletta, the port of Tunis, the site of the ancient 
city of Carthage. Once we anchored close by that place 
for two or three days, and on that occasion I collected 



MORTALITY AMONG THE PETS. 



445 



enough varieties of marble and mosaic from the old pal- 
aces to make some beautiful tables when we got home. 
In the afternoon and evening we made the Fratelli and 
the Sorelle Rocks, and still later the little Island of 
Galita. There were many steamers going in all direc- 
tions, and it struck one very forcibly how much this little 
islet in mid-channel stands in need of a light. 

Sunday, May 13th. — The wind was dead ahead, and 
the sea of that remarkably confused character for which 
the Mediterranean is famous. It seemed as if the wind 
of yesterday, the wind of to-morrow, and the wind of to- 
day, had all met and were bent on making a night of it. 
We had service at eleven and four. The chart, now a 
good old friend, for it has been used by us on so many 
Mediterranean voyages, showed that this is the fourth 
noontide we have spent within a radius of thirty miles of 
this particular spot ; within a radius of sixty miles we 
have spent at least three weeks of our lives at various 
periods. This does not of course include voyages in 
steamers, which are not recorded in the chart. 

Monday, May lAjh. — About breakfast time to-day we 
crossed the meridian of Greenwich ; and this virtually 
completed our voyage round the world, our original point 
of departure having really been Rochester, which is a few 
minutes to the east of Greenwich. The wind changed in 
the middle of the day, and we passed through a large 
fleet of merchantmen hove-to under shelter of Cape de 
Gat, where they had collected, I suppose, from various 
ports in Spain and Italy. 

Tuesday, May i$th. — This was a somewhat sad day, 
many of our pets dying from the effects of the cold wind 
or from accidents. The steward's mocking-bird from 
Siam, which talked like a Christian and followed him 
about like a dog, died of acute bronchitis early this morn- 
ing; and his monkey, the most weird little creature, with 
the affectionate ways of a human friend, died in the after- 
noon, of inflammation and congestion of the lungs. Two 



446 GIBRALTAR. 

other monkeys and several birds also expired in the 
course of the day. 

This evening ' Beau Brummel,' the little pig I brought 
from Bow Island, in the South Pacific, died of a broken 
spine, as the doctor, who made a post-mortem examina- 
tion in each case, discovered. A spar must have dropped 
upon poor piggy accidentally whilst he was running about 
on deck, though of course no one knew anything about it. 
I am very sorry ; for though I must confess he was some- 
what greedy and pig-like in his habits, he was extremely 
amusing in his ways. He ran about and went to sleep 
with the pugs, just like one of themselves. Besides, I do 
not think any one else in England could have boasted of 
a pig given to them by a South Sea Island chief. Proba- 
bly ' Beau Brummel ' was a lineal descendant of the pigs 
Captain Cook took out in the ' Endeavor.' 

The bodies were all placed together in a neat little 
box and committed to the deep at sunset, a few tears be- 
ing shed over the departed pets, especially by the chil- 
dren. 

Cape de Gat was abeam early this morning. The 
wind fell light, but Tom hoped it would freshen again ; 
otherwise, with steam we might easily have got into Gib- 
raltar to-night. As it was, fires were not lighted until ten 
o'clock. 

Wednesday, May \6th. — At 3 a.m. I was called to see 
the light on Europa Point, and staid on deck to watch 
the day dawn and the rising of the sun. It was not, how- 
ever, a very agreeable morning ; the Levanter was blow- 
ing, the signal station was enveloped in mist, the tops of 
the mountains of Africa were scarcely discernible above 
the clouds, and Ceuta and Ape's Hill were invisible. Alge- 
ciras and San Roque gleamed white on the opposite shore 
of the bay, while the dear old Rock itself looked fresher 
and cleaner than usual, exhaling a most delicious perfume 
of flowers. As the sun rose, the twitterings of the birds 
in the Alameda sounded most homelike and delightful. 



FLOWER GIRLS. 



447 



We had dropped our anchor inside the New Mole 
about 4.30, and before six the familiar sounds of English 
martial music could be heard from all the different bar- 
racks, as the regiments came marching down the hill and 
along the Alameda to the north front with all their bag- 
gage, military trains, tents, and ambulances, for a day's 
camping out. We were anxious to get on shore to see 
about coals, water, and provisions, but no health-boat 
came near us. About seven o'clock we started in despair, 
first to hail a policeman on shore (at a most respectful 
distance), to inquire where we could get pratique ; then 
we procured it, and sent word back to the ' Sunbeam ' that 
she was out of quarantine, and might hoist the yellow 
flag. We landed, went to the market, bought some lovely 
carnations stuck in a prickly-pear leaf to keep them fresh, 
and then went to the Hotel Royal — kept by the landlord 
of the old Club House Hotel, where we had so often 
staid — to order breakfast. Our old friends the servants 
greeted us at every step from the house-door to the coffee- 
room, and we were taken special care of by a waiter who 
remembered us. After breakfast we went to pay some 
visits. We thought we ought to go and look at the gal- 
leries and Signal Station, as one or two of our party had 
never been here before ; so we started, some on foot, and 
some on donkeys. All the way up the steep streets to 
the Moorish castle, girls met us, selling lovely scarlet car- 
nations and yellow roses. The galleries have not changed 
in the least since our last visit, but our soldier-guide told 
us they were daily expecting some big guns to come out, 
and he gave us a minute explanation how they were to 
be mounted. It was a pleasant ride, neither too hot nor 
too cold. Every crevice and interstice between the rocks 
was full of wild flowers, looking bright and pretty, though 
somewhat insignificant after the gorgeous tropical blos- 
soms our eyes have been lately accustomed to. The fog 
had cleared off, and the view was beautiful ; ships lay in 
the bay below us from all parts, including a Portuguese 



448 LISBON. 

gun-boat. We saw also one of the two old eagles sitting 
near her nest in the accustomed place ; this year she has 
on'y one young one. We did not see the monkeys, on ac- 
count of the Levanter, but their number has increased to 
twenty-four, so that there is no immediate fear of their 
becoming extinct. 

At half-past six p.m. we weighed anchor and steamed 
out of the anchorage inside the New Mole. In the straits 
the wind was fair, so the funnel was soon lowered, and the 
screw feathered, and we were racing along under sail 
alone. Off Tarifa we found quite a gale blowing, and the 
wind continued fresh and fair throughout the night. 

Thursday, May ijth. — The strong fair wind dropped, 
and then came dead ahead, and off Cadiz Ave had to get 
up steam. There was a strong wind off the mountains 
near Cape Sagres, and while Tom was below and the men 
were busy reefing the sails, we nearly ran ashore. Luck- 
ily I noticed our danger and called Tom, who came up 
just in time to alter the helm, when the yacht went round 
like a top, though the shore was too close to be pleasant. 
It only shows how easily an accident may occur. Both 
our fishermen-mates (Mild not bear to be idle, and always 
considered looking ouf-'^m insignificant occupation, and so 
neglected that import^ v 1Liuty to assist with the sails. 

Off Cape St. Vincem it blew so hard that we were 
afraid we should be obliged to bring up in the bay of Sa- 
gres ; but we found that it?Jy|s only a land breeze, and that 
it was much smoother out^Se than we had expected. 

Friday, May lSf/t. — Fresh breeze. We met many 
steamers going down the coasc with all sail set. After 
passing Cape Espichel the wind increased to a northerly 
gale, against which it was impossible to proceed. We 
therefore put into Lisbon. The mountains at the mouth 
of the Tagus, the tower and c, *^h of Belem, and the 
noble river itself looked even more beautiful in the sunset 
than my recollection led me to expect. We soon landed 
and had an excellent dinner at the Hotel Braganza, where 



ROLLING MOTION SQUARE. 



449 



we had staid before, and where we were at once recog- 
nized and cordially received by the same landlord and 
landlady we remembered in 1861. 

After dinner we went for a walk. One of the things 
we saw during our stroll was the fine statue of Luis de 
Camoens, specially interesting to us, as we had so recently 
seen the place where he passed many of the weary years 




of his exile. Rolling Motion Square was as giddy as ever. 
It was a curious fancy to nave it in such a way as to make 
it look like the waves - ' ,e sea, perpetually moving ; and 
it must be a severe trial to the peripatetic powers of those 
who have not quite recovered their sea legs. 

Saturday, May igth. — We were off early; it was a 
lovely day, and we had a pleasant drive to Cintra. On 
29 



45° 



BELEM. 



our arrival we mounted donkeys and went to Pefia, the 
beautiful palace of the ex-King Ferdinand, situated at 
the top of the mountains. It is an extraordinary-looking 
place, the different parts being built in every imaginable 
style of architecture, with exquisite carving and old tiles, 
that would delight the heart of a connoisseur. One of 
the most prominent objects near the Palace of Pena is the 
statue of Vasco de Gama, nobly placed on a pedestal of 
natural rocks, piled on the summit of a mountain peak, 
and worthy of the adventurous traveler it is erected to 
commemorate. The gardens are full of camellias, roses, 
bougainvillea, &c. We lunched at the excellent hotel, 
and came to the conclusion that Cintra is the place, not 
only ' to spend a happy day,' but many happy months. It 
is always pleasant to revisit places of which you have 
agreeable reminiscences, and to find your expectations 
surpassed instead of disappointed. 

We had a hot drive back to Lisbon, and then went by 
tram to Belem, where we spent some time in the church 
and in wandering though its exquisite cloisters. The first 
stone was laid in 1500, and the name changed from Bairro 
de Restello to Belem, or Bethlehem, by Prince Henry of 
Portugal, the great promoter of maritime discovery in 
that century. It was built specially to commemorate the 
successful voyage of Vasco de Gama, who returned from 
the discovery of India in 1499. 

Tom met us with the yacht, and we went on board 
with the intention of proceeding straight to sea. But 
after passing through the Canal del Norte a heavy gale 
obliged us to anchor in Cascaes Bay for the night, not far 
from a small schooner yacht with three ladies on board. 
It was rather rough, and we were very tired, or I think we 
should have ventured to pay them a visit even at that late 
hour. It is absurd to stand upon ceremony when travel- 
ing; but I scarcely know what the strict etiquette would 
be on such an occasion — whether they, as first anchored 
in the bay, should call on us, or we on them, as probably 
the greater travelers and out longer at sea. 









ENGLAND IN SIGHT ONCE MORE. 



451 






Sunday, May 20th. — Weighed at 5 a.m. There was a 
dense fog off Cape del Roca, and the steam-whistle, fog- 
horns, and bell were constantly kept going, with lugu- 
brious effect. We had service at eleven and 4.30. Passed 
the Burlings at 1.30. Heavy swell all day. 

Monday, May 2\st. — Rough and disagreeable. Off Vi- 
ana at noon. Passed Oporto and Vigo in the course of 
the afternoon. 

Tuesday, May 22d. — If yesterday was bad, to-day was 
worse. We hove-to for some time under the shelter of 
Cape Finisterre, then went on again for a short distance ; 
but at 1.30 a.m. on the 23d we were obliged to put round 
and wait for daylight. 

Wednesday, 23d, and Thursday, 2/\.th. — In the course 
of the day the weather mended, though the sea still con- 
tinued rough, and our course was really in the direction 
of America rather than England. In the evening of the 
24th we were able to light fires, and, with the assistance 
of steam, to keep nearly on our proper course. 

Saturday, May 26th. — Saw the first English land, the 
Start, at 2.30 a.m. Wind continued fresh and fair, but 
at noon dropped calm, and we had to steam through the 
Needles instead of sailing, as we had done on our way 
out. We reached Cowes about 3 p.m., and were immedi- 
ately welcomed by several yachts, who dipped their en- 
signs and fired their guns. We landed, and were warmly 
greeted by many friends, and, after sending off telegrams 
and letters, re-embarked and proceeded towards Hastings. 
We were anxious to land by daylight, but this was not to 
be. So it turned out to be midnight before we reached 
Beachy Head and could discern the lights of Hastings 
shining in the distance. As we drew near to our anchor- 
age we could see two boats coming swiftly towards us 
from the shore. The crews were members of the Royal 
Naval Artillery Volunteers, and as they came alongside 
they raised a shout of welcome. Hastings had been ex- 
pecting us all the afternoon, and late as was the hour, 



452 WELCOME HOME. 

1.30 a.m., we were immediately surrounded by a fleet of 
boats, and many willing hands seized our heterogeneous 
cargo and multitudinous packages, and before daylight 
all had been safely landed on the pier. We committed 
ourselves to the care of the R. N. A. V., and landed in 
their boats, and at 4.30, proceeding to the Queen's Hotel, 
we had a joyous meeting with T. A. B. and Maud. 

How can I describe the warm greetings that met us 
everywhere, or the crowd that surrounded us, not only 
when we landed, but as we came out of church ; how, 
along the whole ten miles from Hastings to Battle, people 
were standing by the roadside and at their cottage doors 
to welcome us ; how the Battle bell-ringers never stopped 
ringing except during service time ; or how the warmest 
of welcomes ended our delightful year of travel and made 
us feel we were home at last, with thankful hearts for the 
providential care which had. watched over us whither- 
soever we roamed? 



HOME AT LAST. 



453 




Home at Last. 



I travel'd among- unknown men, 

In lands beyond the sea, 
Nor, England ! did I know till then 

What love I bore to thee, 



APPENDIX. 

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LIST OF PERSONS ON BOARD THE YACHT. 467 



WHEN we finally sailed from Cowes, on July 6th, 1876, the 
list of persons on board the yacht was as follows : — 

THOMAS BRASSEY, Esq., M.P. (Owner) 

Mrs. BRASSEY 

THOMAS ALLNUTT BRASSEY 

MABELLE ANNIE BRASSEY 

MURIEL AGNES BRASSEY 

MARIE ADELAIDE BRASSEY 

Hon. A. Y. BINGHAM 

F. HUBERT FREER, Esq. 

Commander JAMES BROWN, R.N. 

Captain SQUIRE T. S. LECKY, R.N.R. 

HENRY PERCY POTTER, Esq. (Surgeon) 



ISAIAH POWELL, Sailing Master 

HENRY KINDRED, Boatswain 

JOHN RIDGE TEMPLEMAN, Carpenter 

CHARLES COOK, Signalman and Gunner 

JAMES ALLEN, Coxswain of the Gig 

JAMES WALFORD, Captain of the Hold 

JOHN FALE, Coxswain of the Cutter 

HENRY PARKER, Second Coxswain of the Gig 

WILLIAM SEBBORN, A.B. 

WALTER SEBBORN " 

TURNER ENNEW 



468 LIST OF PERSONS ON BOARD THE YACHT. 



WILLIAM MOULTON, A.B. 
ALBERT WISEMAN 
JOHN GREEN 
THOMAS TAYLOR 
FREDERICK BUTT 
HENRY TICHENER 
THOMAS POWELL, Forecastle Cook 
, WILLIAM COLE, Boy 



I 



ROBERT ROWBOTTOM, Engineer 
CHARLES McKECHNIE, 2d ditto 
THOMAS KIRKHAM, Leading Fireman 
GEORGE BURREDGE, Fireman 



GEORGE LESLIE, Steward 
WILLIAM AINSWORTH, Bedroom Steward 
FREDERICK PARSONS, Saloon Steward 
GEORGE BASSETT, 2d ditto 



WILLIAM PRYDE, Cook 

JOSEPH SOUTHGATE, Cook's Mate 



EMMA ADAMS, Nurse 
HARRIET HOWE, Lady's Maid 
MARY PHILLIPS, Stewardess. 



LIST OF PERSONS ON BOARD THE YACHT. 469 



The list of those who were temporarily on board the 
yacht during the voyage comprised the following per- 
sons : — 

ARRIVALS. 

CREW OF 'MONKSHAVEN' (15) came on board the 'Sunbeam,' 

Sept. 28. 
ARTHUR TURNER, one of the crew, remained on board the 'Sunbeam' 

as an A. B . 
JOHN SEBBORN, from U.S. ' Ashuelot,' Hongkong. 
JOHN SHAW (Under-Cook), Hongkong. 
ISAAC AYAK, Hongkong. 
JOHN AHANG, Hongkong. 

.MEHEMET, Fireman, Galle. * 

ABRAHAM, Fireman, Galle. 
TOM DOLLAR, Fireman, Galle. 
Mr. and Mrs. WOODROFFE, Ismailia. 

(Total, 24.) 



DEPARTURES. 

T. ALLNUTT BRASSEY, Rio. 

CREW of 'MONKSHAVEN' (14) placed on board the ' Illimani/ 

Oct. 5. 
Captain LECKY, Buenos Ayres. 
GEO. LESLIE, Ensenada. 
Captain BROWN, Honolulu. 
WM. PRYDE, Honolulu. 
JOHN FALE, Malacca. 
MEHEMET, Fireman, Suez. 
ABRAHAM, Fireman, Suez. 
TOM DOLLAR, Fireman, Aden. 
Mr. and Mrs. WOODROFFE, Port Said. 

(Total, 25.) 



47° 



NOTE. — Many were the preparations to be made before 
starting on our voyage ; the crew had to be selected, we 
had to decide whether all, any, or none of the children 
should be taken, what friends we should invite to accom- 
pany us, what stores and provisions we should take, and 
to select from our little fleet of boats those which seemed 
best suited for the various requirements of the voyage. 
The whole number comprised 

The ' Gleam,' lifeboat cutter ; 

The 'Glance,' large gig; 

The ' Ray,' light gig ; 

The ' Trap ' (to catch a sunbeam), steam launch ; 

The ' Mote,' dingy ; 

The ' Flash,' light outrigger. 

Of these the ' Trap ' and the ' Ray ' had to be left be- 
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